It was a surprise catch that came with unforgettable memories.

Captain Jeff Warford, first deckhand mate Jake Bowles and the owner of their Long Beach Island-based boat, were fishing for thresher sharks less than a mile from the beach in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, on Sunday afternoon when they caught a great white shark instead.

They were in shock as they hooked this creature. They were less than a mile away from the beach where beach visitors were swimming in the ocean.

Typically the only shark that you would catch this time of year in this close would be a thresher shark,’' Warford said. “They’re following the bunker schools inshore.”