A group of terrified paddleboarders had a moment too close for comfort after getting close to a Great White shark while in the waters at Cape Cod. The incident happened on the 4th of July.
College students Margaret Bowles and Maddie Cronin opened up about their close encounter. The Great White Shark swam just feet away from them. The two saw its fin surface.
"I see this big fin pop up next to her, it's like eight inches out of the water, sort of fleshy, gray and I'm like, 'Oh my goodness, that's a shark, we got to go,'" Bowles, who attends Harvard University, said via New York Post.
"Once we were back to shore, I was kind of like 'No way, they aren't here,'" Bowles also added. "It took a second to register that was what happened, but it was a complete surprise. I've spent time teaching marine biology here and swimming in the ocean. I certainly never expected for a great white shark to wander my way."
Great White Shark Spotted
The two didn't believe that Great White sharks ventured into the area.
She continued, "I always operated under the assumption that there were no sharks in Woods Hole. I would have friends down and they'd ask, 'Are there sharks here?' And I'd be like, 'No, no way.'"
The two nicknamed the Great White shark as Steve. "I've already gone swimming since then. I love the ocean. What happened was incredibly unlikely," Bowles said. "Hopefully Steve moves on and I'll get right back to it."
Meanwhile, a Great White shark hasn't been spotted in the area since 2004.
"The general perception that white sharks are predominantly along the Outer Cape is actually quite true based on the data we've collected," Greg Skomal, a shark biologist for the Division of Marine Fisheries, told the outlet. "But that's not to say that sharks don't move to other parts of Massachusetts, and we've been able to demonstrate that occasionally they do enter Buzzards Bay."
"The best approach is that if you see a shark, don't panic. The probability of being bitten is very, very low," he said. "Nonetheless, if you're concerned about your safety, just move away calmly and avoid interacting with the shark in any way."
