WATCH: Shark Takes A Swim By LBI Beach

LONG BEACH TOWNSHIP, NJ — Despite an unusual summer coming up, one Long Beach Island guest kept to their visiting traditions: the occasional shark. Will McGrath filmed one as he fished off 82nd Street, Brighton Beach.

McGrath recognized the creature as a thresher shark. He used to lifeguard in Long Beach Township and is an avid fisherman, so he knows his sharks, says Will's father, Bob McGrath.

Will McGrath saw the shark at about 11 a.m. Tuesday and even caught a smaller one.

Watch the video below:

LBI holds a significant place in the history of sharks. One century ago, American scholars doubted that sharks could kill a person without provocation.

That changed after the original Jersey Shore shark attacks, when sharks killed four people and injured another in a series of attacks from July 1-12 of 1916. The initial attack took place July 1 at Beach Haven. Charles Epting Vansant, 25, was bitten on the leg and bled to death on the manager's desk of the Engleside Hotel at 6:45 p.m. that evening, according to documentation.

The other attacks took place days later in Matawan and Spring Lake. Read more: National Geographic's 'SharkFest' Examines 1916 LBI Shark Attack

Fortunately, Barnegat-Manahawkin Patch's recent shark stories have not involved attacks.

Related articles:

• 14-Year-Old Reels In Shark Off LBI: Reports
• Video Shows Fishermen In LBI Reportedly Catching 6-Foot Shark

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