This Westport couple had an unexpected shark encounter. Here's what happened.

WESTPORT — "Oh my God, that is a frickin' shark!"

That was part of Westport resident Carmel Long's reaction to realizing what the large marine animal swimming around her and her husband Perry Long's boat the other weekend was.

Then, five more came and joined in.

"They were just swimming around us. They were inches away from our boat," said Perry Long of the couple's experience on June 9, while out on their 18-ft. trip angler boat near the landmark known as "Twomile Rock," visible from Cherry and Webb Beach.

"We have a recreational 10-pot lobster license, so my family and I for years now have put our pots out at the beginning of the summer season and go out every 3 to 5 days to check and see if we have any lobsters," Perry Long said. "We've seen some smaller sharks over the years further out but this was the first time we saw something like this."

Sharks 'very docile'

Perry Long said the sharks — which he suspects are basking sharks — were "very docile." And while he observed their mouths remained "wide open" throughout the duration of the 20- to 25-minute encounter, Perry Long doesn't believe it was because they thought of him and his wife as lunch.

"To my understanding, they eat plankton and shrimp," he said. "It was a wonderful encounter."

Is this a sign?

In terms of how large the sharks were, Perry Long said judging relative to the size of his and his wife's 18-ft. boat, he estimates they were about 25 feet long.

"For me it was great, because I've been advocating to my wife now for years that we need a bigger boat," Perry Long laughed. "So I'm hoping this advances those efforts."

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Westport couple has unforgettable shark encounter