Great White Shark Sighting Forces Cape Cod Beach Closure

CHATHAM, MA — A great white shark sighting near Lighthouse Beach in Chatham forced officials to close the beach to swimmers Sunday afternoon. Chatham police reported the sighting Sunday at about 1:30 p.m. The beach was expected to reopen at 3:30 p.m.

According to the shark-tracking app "Sharktivity" — developing by local and state officials — a great white shark was seen eating a seal near the beach.

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It's been another busy summer of great white shark sightings on the Cape. On Monday, a great white shark was captured on video eating a seal off Monomoy Island near Chatham. On Fri., 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.).

Truro is the site of the last great white 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

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• 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