Great White Shark Forces Cape Cod Beach Closure

EASTHAM, MA — Swimmers at Nauset Light Beach in Eastham were ordered out of the water Wednesday morning after a great white shark was spotted eating a seal nearby. Restrictions were also placed on Coast Guard Beach in Eastham, as swimmers were only allowed to wade in the water and not swim.

The sighting was recorded on the shark-tracking app Sharktivity. There has been a surge in great white shark sightings on Cape Cod in recent years. Researchers last week discovered the reason why — there's a nearby nursery off Montauk, New York, where adolescent great whites stay until they reach adulthood at the age of 20. Adult sharks then swim to Cape Cod to feed on seals, their primary food source.

Over the weekend, boaters filmed a great white shark circling their point off the Provincetown coast:

On Sunday, Aug. 13, Lighthouse Beach in Chatham was closed after a great white shark was seen eating a seal nearby. On Friday, Aug. 5, Truro beaches were closed as six great whites fed on a dead minke whale nearby. In July, boaters credited an app for alerting them to a great white swimming alongside their boat — and a 6-year-old boy actually hooked a great white in Cape Cod Bay (The shark was cut free.).

Shark attacks on humans are extremely rare — the odds are about one in 12 million. Most shark attack victims survive; bites on humans by sharks are normally exploratory.

Truro is the site of the last great white shark attack on a human in Cape Cod. On July 30, 2012, a great white bit a man on the leg. He survived.

The last close encounter in the region was September 2014, when a great white chomped a kayak with two women aboard off the coast of Plymouth. They were not hurt. The sharks might have mistook the kayak for a seal, which they prey on.

In 1916, a shark killed four people and seriously injured a fifth off the New Jersey coast — providing the inspiration for “Jaws,” which was filmed on Martha's Vineyard.

Great White Sharks on Cape Cod 2016

• Great White Shark Circles Boat Off Cape Cod
• Great White Shark Caught Eating Seal Off Cape Cod Beach
• Great White Shark Sighting: 2 Cape Cod Beaches Closed
• 5 Great White Shark Sightings Near Nauset Beach
• Great White Shark Spotted by Provicetown Lifeguard
• 7 Great White Shark Sightings and Counting on Cape Cod So Far This Week
• Great White Shark Sighting Forces Chatham Beach Closure
• Cape Cod Great White Shark Numbers on the Rise: Report
• 'Awesome' Great White Shark Video Near Chatham Also Terrifying
• 9 Recent Great White Shark Sightings on Cape Cod
• Great White Shark Eats Seal Near Chatham Beach
• 6 Great White Sharks Force Cape Cod Beach Closures
• App Alerts Boaters to Great White Shark on Cape Cod
• Great White Shark Returns to Cape Cod After Dramatic Rescue
• Boy Catches Great White Shark in Cape Cod Bay
• 3 Great Whites Spotted on Eastern Edge of Cape Cod

Photo credit: Sharktivity