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The Dawn of Sharking

By Outdoor Life Online Editor

Updated

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No one was immune from shark fever. One group of nuns from upstate New York made the trek out to Montauk each summer for years to get in on the action. Outdoor Life Online Editor
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Captain Al Ristori with two almost identical makos. The second fish showed up as Ristori's crew was fighting the first. Outdoor Life Online Editor
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Sharks would always draw huge crowds on the dock of Montauk's boat basin. Outdoor Life Online Editor
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Ristori with a big New Jersey mako shark. Outdoor Life Online Editor
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Fisheries biologist autopsies a mako. Outdoor Life Online Editor
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When word spread that a man-eater was coming to the docks, gawkers gathered from miles around. Outdoor Life Online Editor
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Makos possess some serious dental work. Outdoor Life Online Editor
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A truly incredible set of razor-sharp teeth. Outdoor Life Online Editor

Long Island’s Montauk Point was ground zero for modern-day sharking in the weeks and years after the movie Jaws was released. Outdoor writer Al Ristori’s vintage photos help document the bad old days.