Local News
A shark expert says sightings are becoming more common during peak season.
A large basking shark was seen near Scituate on Aug. 4. Diana Clay, via screenshot
Beachgoers at Humarock Beach in Scituate got an unusual sight Tuesday morning when a massive basking shark swam close to shore.
Abigail Burke, of East Bridgewater, posted a TikTok video filmed by her friend’s mother, Diana Clay, around 11:15 a.m. Aug. 4 outside her family’s beach house. As of Wednesday evening, the video has amassed more than 523,000 views and 23,300 likes.
A basking shark is spotted at Humarock Beach in Scituate.
Clay, of Hanson, spends a couple months a year at the beach house. In the 25 years she has spent at the property, Clay recalled having only witnessed a single shark sighting — which turned out to be a sand shark captured by local fishermen.
“It was quite a unique situation, but I’m not really ready to jump in the water,” Clay told Boston.com, of Tuesday’s sighting. “I felt like it was a little daunting.”
A report of the shark sighting was made between 11 a.m. and noon, a representative for the Scituate Harbormaster said.
John Chisholm, a shark expert and scientist with the New England Aquarium, confirmed the animal was a basking shark, the second-largest fish in the world. Basking sharks can grow to more than 35 feet long, but despite their enormous size, they present themselves more as a “whale trapped in a shark body,” Chisholm said.
He said beachgoers should still practice shark safety throughout New England, particularly as white shark activity increases later in the summer. White sharks are known to be apex predators at the top of the ocean food chain, growing up to 20 feet long, per NOAA Fisheries.
“No matter where you are in New England or the Canadian Maritimes, this time of year you need to be shark smart,” Chisholm told Boston.com. “That means before you go to the beach, be aware of what you do if you see a shark.”
He advised swimmers to stay close to shore, avoid excessive splashing, and report shark sightings to local authorities.
Clay noted that many people at Humarock Beach avoided swimming immediately afterward, and the number of swimmers remained low the following day.
While the shark seen off Scituate was harmless, Chisholm noted that white sharks have also been spotted in New England waters in recent days. Shark attacks on people by any species are very rare, but white sharks are among the shark species most likely to be aggressive towards humans.
A white shark was spotted about 50 yards off North Beach Island in Chatham around 6:45 a.m. Tuesday. Another was reported about 25 yards offshore in the same Cape Cod town around 5:15 a.m. Wednesday, according to the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy’s app Sharktivity.
In Maine, officials in Scarborough issued a warning Tuesday after two confirmed shark sightings near Pine Point Beach.
Scarborough police said the sharks were seen near the southern tip of Prouts Neck and the mouth of the Scarborough River.
A New England Aquarium shark expert who reviewed video submitted by a local fisherman determined the animals appeared to be juvenile great white sharks measuring roughly six to eight feet long, police said.
Chisholm said the recent uptick in sightings is driven by several factors. Peak season for white sharks is just beginning, with sightings typically increasing through September and October before declining later in the fall.
Chisholm also credited decades of conservation efforts. Federal protections put in place in the late 1990s have helped white shark populations recover, he said.
Another major reason, Chisholm said, is that more people are documenting sharks than ever before.
“Between smartphones and drones, more people are not only out there looking and finding sharks, they’re able to immediately get video and go straight to social media with it,” he said. “That plays a big factor in the increase in the number of signs you get.”
Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
