by It resembled a Jaws moment.
On July 4, Margaret Bowles and Maddie Cronin were paddleboarding off the coast of Woods Hole when a calm evening descended into terror, according to several news sources.
According to the Boston Globe, at approximately 7:30 p.m., Cronin, 18, was photographing Bowles, 19, off Stony Beach, when a great white shark passed by them in the sea. The dorsal fin cutting through the water’s surface was photographed.
A video that was shared with Bostonshows on WHDH7 When Bowles sees the fin, her face instantly changes from a smile to one of fear.
As Bowles leaped higher on her board, she yelled, “Oh.”
Bowles, a rising sophomore at Harvard University, and Cronin, a rising sophomore at the University of Toronto, swiftly departed the region.
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Shark bites man on Nantucket beach during catch-and-release
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Video: Great white shark breaches under researcher Greg Skomal off Cape Cod
Bowles told WHDH, “It took a second to register what happened, but it was a complete surprise.” I’ve been swimming in the ocean and teaching marine biology here for years. To be sure, I never thought a great white shark would come across me.
The two emailed the picture to shark specialists for identification assistance, according to the Cape and Islands National Public Radio program. It was a great white shark, according to Greg Skomal, a shark biologist with the state Division of Marine Fisheries.
Before she was born, in 2004, the last confirmed shark sighting in the vicinity occurred, according to Bowles.
Attracted by cooler waters and a large seal population, great white sharks usually patrol the Outer Cape from Chatham to Provincetown.
Great white sharks are likely to be in Buzzards Bay at the start and finish of the busiest shark season, which runs from August to October, Skomal told WCAI. However, they are mostly just passing through when they are in the area.
It is not likely to encounter a great white shark like these two did, Skomal told WCAI.
However, the best course of action is to remain calm if you spot a shark. He stated that the likelihood of getting bitten is extremely minimal. However, simply back off gently and don’t engage with the shark in any way if you’re worried about your safety.
For Boston.com, Beth Treffeisen works as a general assignment reporter, covering local news, crime, and business in the New England area.
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