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Great White Shark Attacks, Devours Seal As Cape Cod Beachgoers Watch

By Dustin Wicksell
Published on: 05:00 PST, Aug 1, 2015

Beachgoers in Cape Cod were treated to an unexpected scene earlier this week, when a great white shark rose from the depths to prey upon a seal in full view of a popular beach, just a few hundred feet from swimmers.

The attack took place near Eastham’s Coast Guard Beach on July 29, around 7:30 p.m., according to Cape Cod National Seashore officials. As beachgoers watched, a white shark rose to the surface and attacked one of a multitude of seals swimming in the area. The shark bit into the seal just 150 yards south of the main swimming beach, and less than 20 yards away from several surfers, who immediately exited the water and came ashore.

No National Parks staff or lifeguards were on duty at the time of the attack, but the agency reported that it had received several independent reports verifying the incident. Witnesses described the shark attack as a bloody event, noting that the great white thrashed as it tore into the seal. The predation event transpired in full view of the beach, and was observed by a multitude of swimmers and beachgoers.

Shark attacks are nothing new off the coast of Massachusetts, and the local seal population is considered a driving factor in attracting the great whites that congregate off the cape each summer. The seals represent a primary food source for the white sharks, and are regularly preyed upon by the larger predators.

Researchers have used the sharks’ presence to their advantage, tagging and documenting the region’s great white population. In addition, the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy has succeeded in photographing several predation events over the last two summers, documenting the interactions between white sharks and seals, as the Inquisitr has previously reported.

Earlier this year, one of the local white sharks made international headlines after it became stranded on a beach, and was rescued by passers-by. After the shark was towed back into the sea and revived, researchers asserted that it had only a 50 percent chance of recovery. As Cape Cod notes, however, the great white, named Jameson, has since been detected several times, proving that the shark survived.

[Photo by Dan Kitwood / Getty Images]

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