Paddleboarders encounter great white shark off Massachusetts beach
WCVB, MADELEINE CRONIN, SHARKTIVITY, CNN
By Emily Maher
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FALMOUTH, Massachusetts (WCVB) — Two college students who were paddleboarding off the coast of Cape Cod photographed a surprising close encounter with a great white shark on July 4.
Margaret Bowles and Maddie Cronin were paddleboarding off of Stony Beach in Woods Hole when they spotted the shark’s intimidating fin poking up from the surface of the water.
Cronin, a student at the University of Toronto, was snapping photos of Bowles, a Harvard student. The images show Bowles’ face at the moment she realized their proximity to the ocean predator.
“And then I see this big fin pop up next to her. It’s like 8 inches out of the water, sort of fleshy grey, and I’m like, ‘Oh my goodness, that’s a shark. We’ve got to go,'” Bowles said. “Fortunately, we both kept our heads and made a hasty retreat to shore on our paddleboards.”
Based on the fin seen in the photo, an adjunct scientist with the New England Aquarium determined the animal was likely an immature great white shark. They said it is an important reminder to be aware of your surroundings in the ocean.
“I mean, a near miss is still a miss but we were certainly a bit surprised that we’d gotten such a close visit from a great white shark,” said Bowles.
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