Taking a swim in the ocean is a popular summertime activity in Cape Cod, but it is also a favorite spot for great white sharks.
Beachgoers are warned to be on the lookout for great white sharks. Purple flags with a silhouette of a great white are flying to remind people of the danger as well as beach signs warning swimmers of the risk of entering the water.
The signs read, “Great white sharks hunt seals in shallow water at this beach. People have been seriously injured and killed by white sharks along this coastline.”
On Tuesday afternoon a great white shark was spotted off Head of the Meadow Beach in Truro. As a safety measure, Cape Cod beaches are closed for an hour to swimmers after a shark sighting.
No one was harmed and the beach reopened later that afternoon. While shark attacks are rare, they do still occur. The last fatal attack was in 2018.
Shark sightings continue to increase with four great whites spotted on June 5, according to the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy app which tracks great white shark sightings.
Great white sharks are highly migratory and travel great distances every year. They tend to spend the winter in the south and many head north up the east coast in summer. The Cape Cod coast is a favorite spot for them due to the large amount of seal. The peak months for shark activity in the area is August through October.
If you plan on heading to Cape Cod, here are a few safety tips to follow provided by Cape Cod National Seashore.
What you can do
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