It's been nearly a week since passengers aboard a whale watching boat caught a rare glimpse of a great white shark in the Bay of Fundy.

Tour operators in St. Andrews, N.B. say they've already noticed an increase in people wanting to go whale watching, hoping to see sharks.

Pat McLean is just one of a group of whale watchers who spent Sunday morning out on the water.

"We saw the minke whales, the porpoises, the eagles, all the gulls. It was wonderful," says McLean.

But many onboard, were hoping to spot a shark.

"We heard he was pretty big, so we were kind of looking forward to seeing him but I guess not," says tourist, Jenna MacDonald.

Last week a group of tourists were out whale watching when they spotted the Great White. After news spread and this video went viral, business has increased.

"it seems to have increased somewhat,” says tour operator, Lisa Eldridge. “Probably due to that, the shark sighting, so it's been exciting."

Eldridge says this time of year is usually their busiest and a shark sitting certainly helps.

"It’s great for our passengers and our crew, [because] our crew goes out daily and many trips,” she says. “And it's nice for them to have something different, a different sitting for them as well. So it's exciting. It’s exciting every day we go out. A lot of time there are different things that we see, but a great white, not always."

Nick Hawkins operates another whale watching tour boat. He saw a great white two seasons ago, so he thinks it’s unlikely he'll be lucky enough to see one again this year.

"I guess I got to wait another couple season,” says Hawkins “Who knows, you never know when you’re out there. That’s what makes it so exciting."

Hawkins says since news of the shark sighting spread, he's noticed tourists taking a keen interest in what's in the water.

"Everyone’s heard about it, so that's what is on everyone's mind when they're out there,” He adds. “They are scanning and looking around,"

Tourist operators in St. Andrews also say the reopening of the Algonquin Hotel after being closed for the past two seasons is also contributing to the spike in tourism.

With files from CTV’s Ashley Dunbar