Great White Shark Sighting: 2 Cape Cod Beaches Closed

PROVINCETOWN, MA — A great white shark was seen close to swimmers at Race Point Beach in Provincetown Saturday, sending everyone scrambling out of the water.

Lifeguards spotted the shark swimming "4 feet from shore" at about noon, according to the shark-tracking app Sharktivity, which was developed by state and local officials. The shark was last seen headed south to Herring Cove Beach; swimmers there were also ordered out of the water.

The beaches were packed Saturday, as it was a perfect beach day, with sunny skies, highs in the 80s, and little humidity.

It's been another busy summer of great white shark sightings on the Cape. On Sun., Aug. 13, Lighthouse Beach in Chatham was closed after a great white shark was seen eating a seal nearby. 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.).

An explanation for the surge of recent sightings was the recent discovery of a shark nursery off Montauk, N.Y. — a first in the North Atlantic.

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 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

• 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: NOAA