‘Holy moly!’: Rare shark visit to Nova Scotia's Bedford Basin inspires shock and awe

A basking shark made a rare appearance in the Bedford Basin on Friday evening. (Submitted by Lisa McCloskey)Social SharingIt’s been a long time since swimming was encouraged in the Bedford Basin, but that didn’t stop one shark from making a rare and lengthy visit on Friday night. 

"I have never seen a shark in the Bedford Basin before. That was a first," said Bedford resident John Calder.

Calder had nearly finished his commute home from work when he came across a crowd standing on the Shore Drive Bridge, which overlooks the basin where it meets the Sackville River.

“I got out of my car to see what was happening and lo and behold, there was two giant shark fins that were protruding from the water,” Calder said Saturday. “Right away, I said: 'Holy moly! That's a shark.'"

According to marine biologist and shark researcher Neil Hammerschlag, who reviewed multiple videos of the shark shared on social media, “it’s clearly a basking shark.” 

“They pose no risk to humans, they eat little plankton, and they’re called basking sharks because they often spend time near the surface where they look like they’re basking in the sun,” said Hammerschlag, president of Atlantic Shark Expeditions.

The shark's habit of floating near the surface, combined with the fact that it is the second-largest fish in the world, made it easy to spot once it entered the basin.

However, finding one in such a busy waterway — surrounded by dozens of sailboats and densely populated shores — is highly unusual.

“I think this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see an animal this large so close to shore,” Hammerschlag said.

John Calder says he spotted the shark around 5 p.m. on Friday. (Submitted by John Calder)Shark spent hours in basinWhile Calder watched the shark for only 15 minutes before it swam away, he described it as a moment where time stood still.

“You go about your day, and then all of a sudden there’s a shark, and it’s like everything stops, nothing else is important and you’re just watching mother nature,” he said.

Around 7:30 p.m., Calder's wife, Lisa McCloskey, and his 14-year-old stepdaughter, Audrey Hill, spotted the shark near a dock at the Bedford Basin Yacht Club.

“It seemed kind of surreal,” McCloskey said. “We could almost see our house in the distance, and then we’re watching this massive shark come out of the water and it came near us and almost rolled over so we saw its whole body as well ... it was magical.” 

Lisa McCloskey, pictured here with her 14-year-old daughter, Audrey Hill, along with Heather Sangster, Meghan Proude, Mana Wareham, Kathy McCarthy-Murphy and Ben and Lisa Trepanier, says there was a strong feeling of community among those who came down to the Bedford Basin Yacht Club to see the shark. (Submitted by Lisa McCloskey)For nearly two hours, a growing crowd watched as the shark surfaced and submerged.

“There were probably like 30 or 40 of us, and people were hugging each other when they saw the shark,” McCloskey said. “It really felt like a community event. Everyone was chatting and it was really lovely.” 

Hammerschlag said it remains unclear why the shark ventured into the basin. Basking sharks are far more common in open, plankton-rich waters like the Bay of Fundy.

The shark may have been unwell or disoriented, Hammerschlag said, but “unless it washes up on shore,” there's no way to know for sure.

“Either way, it’s a remarkable encounter, and this is a beautiful animal, completely harmless to people, and whoever had the opportunity to see it should consider themselves lucky.” 

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Andrew Sampson is a journalist with CBC in Halifax. He can be reached at andrew.sampson@cbc.ca