INQUISITR.COM / News & Politics

Great White Sharks Force Cape Cod Beach Closures Ahead Of Labor Day Weekend

By Dustin Wicksell
Published on: 04:17 PST, Sep 4, 2016

The transient population of great white sharks that call Cape Cod their temporary home each summer are making their presence known ahead of the Labor Day weekend, prompting a raft of beach closures in recent weeks as local authorities work to keep both beachgoers and the sharks safe.

The white sharks have been regularly sighted in the area all summer long, yet in the last few weeks, there have been several dramatic incidents that have served to remind beachgoers of the animals’ proximity. On August 18, seven white sharks were spotted off Nauset Beach, according to NECN, while two beaches in Truro were closed on Monday after researchers from the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy spotted several white sharks near the Longnook Beach area.

Last weekend, several unusual sightings were reported in the area surrounding Provincetown. As the Boston Globe notes, Race Point Beach was closed on Sunday after beachgoers witnessed a great white approaching to within just four feet of the shoreline. On that same day, a photographer by the name of Peter Flood managed to capture images of a white shark predation off Provincetown, recording the animal as it devoured a seal. The dramatic photos show the white shark’s fin breaking the surface in a pool of blood while several other seals look on, witnessing the fate of their unfortunate companion.

On Wednesday, two beaches in Eastham were closed following reports of another white shark preying on a seal, while on Friday, two great whites were spotted near Wellfleet and off Chatham. Cynthia Wigren, the executive director of the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, said she was unsure whether lifeguards at Wellfleet Beach cleared swimmers from the water as a result of the sighting, but noted that both white sharks reported on Friday were observed notably close to shore.

“The one off North Beach Island in Chatham was 20 yards offshore. The beach was fairly quiet, though, and it’s not a beach with a lifeguard.”

In recent weeks, some of the white sharks have been moving further northward, leading to several other beach closures. Thanks to the efforts of the conservancy, along with sponsorship from several local businesses, swimmers have a new method to help them avoid the sharks, in the form of a smartphone app called Sharktivity. Released earlier this summer, the app allows both locals and visitors to report their own sightings of white sharks, which are then reviewed by experts for veracity before being released as an alert. The app is capable of notifying anyone who has installed it of nearby white shark sightings, while allowing users to browse reports from previous weeks and months.

Sharktivity has already been credited with helping at least one family avoid a close encounter with a great white, as the Inquisitr previously reported. They were notified of the animal’s presence when another report of a white shark sighting was made in the area just 20 minutes prior. Moments after exiting the water, they witnessed a great white swimming past their boat, followed by the conservancy’s research vessel and the spotter plane.

Wigren noted that advice for beachgoers had not changed, yet she pointed out that anyone heading into the water in Cape Cod should be well aware of the sharks’ presence. She also urged swimmers to pay close attention to warning signs, flags, and lifeguards, as both humans and great white sharks come together on the cape this holiday weekend.

[Photo by Elias Levy – Own Work via Flickr | Cropped and Resized | CC BY 2.0]

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