Cape Cod

Multiple Shark Sightings Reported in Plymouth, on Cape Cod

The Plymouth harbormaster is asking people to keep a sharp lookout and report any potential sightings.

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A Pennsylvania family vacationing on Cape Cod had a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The Reigels spotted several sharks Saturday about a quarter mile off the coast of Nauset Beach in Eastham.

“We said we wanted to see sharks and we actually saw about five, six great whites,” Lee Ann Reigel said.

One shark even came up to the small boat, chartered with a captain, allowing Reigel's son to take video and photos. 

Reigel says she could see the fins slowly moving along the bottom.

“It just kind of closely came up to the side of the boat,” she said. 

Reigel says she’s always been obsessed with sharks, but still respects nature.

“My son is a surfer and his surf board stayed in our home in Pennsylvania,” she said. 

A woman was killed by a shark Monday in Maine.

August means more shark activity in New England, and sharks are a common sight off Cape Cod especially in summer and early fall.

A great white shark was also reported Sunday at South Beach in Chatham, and Newcomb Hollow Beach in Welfleet had to be shut down to swimmers several times over the weekend after more great white sightings there. 

There were also several shark sightings in Plymouth. A yellow flag was out Sunday morning at Long Beach to warn swimmers after the shark sightings in nearby Warren Cove. 

In Plymouth, sharks aren’t often found in Warren cove. 

The harbormaster is asking people to keep a sharp lookout and report any potential sightings.

A fin was reportedly spotted Saturday about 200 yards off Bayshore Drive in Plymouth. 

Two fishing boats also reported a shark sighting nearby. 

“I’m very surprised. We’re not used to them with the water that’s usually colder here and we usually don’t have them around this area, I’m just more cautious but I’ll still go in the water,” said Plymouth Resident Laurie Cass. 

“I think it’s pretty interesting. I lived here for 34 years and it wasn’t until the last few years that we had great whites here,” said Plymouth resident Hal Blegen. 

Ron Hibbard, another Plymouth resident, also says he’s lived here for years. He’s not surprised because there’s been an influx in the seal population. 

“They’re going to go where the food is, so it’s not surprising," he said. 

White sharks prey on seals, but can also attack humans. A white shark killed a woman last Monday in Maine, and a man in Cape Cod in 2018, though shark attacks are rare in both states.

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