News Release

Cape Cod National Seashore Urges Residents & Visitors to be Shark Smart

View of white shark off Coast Guard Beach, Eastham

Pam King

News Release Date: August 10, 2020

Contact: Superintendent Brian Carlstrom, 508-957-0701

There’s a lot of attention on sharks in the media right now, with television programming focused on both entertaining and educating. Recently, Outer Cape beaches in Wellfleet and Truro have been periodically closed to swimming due to great white shark activity and sightings.

Sharks are fascinating creatures, and it’s always a great time to learn more about their biology and behavior. For example, did you know that some species of sharks give birth by laying eggs, while others give birth to live young? All of those, whether eggs or young, however, are on their own once they leave their mother’s body.

During these shark-intensive weeks, it’s also a great time to remember how to be Shark Smart. The Cape Cod National Seashore wants to remind residents and visitors of key facts about staying safe while enjoying the beach, bay, and ocean.

Cape Cod's waters are part of a natural and wild marine ecosystem with a rich diversity of sea life, including sharks and seals. Seals are the major prey species for the great white shark. Sharks often feed on seals close to shore, and they’ve been observed near swimming beaches.

While it is rare for a great white shark to bite a human, since 2012, sharks have bitten people three times in the waters off Truro and Wellfleet. One bite, in 2018, resulted in a fatality. With coastline topography changes and sharks and seals in the ocean, any level of activity in the water, whether wading, swimming or surfing, will pose a different degree of risk. Everyone going into the ocean should exercise caution and be willing to assume the level of risk associated with their behavior prior to entering the water.

If you decide to venture into the waters off Cape Cod, first learn how to be Shark Smart.

Be Shark Smart
• Stay away from seals and schools of fish, even in shallow water, as they attract sharks
• Stay close to shore where rescuers can reach you
• Don't isolate yourself; swim, paddle, kayak, and surf in groups
• Avoid murky or low-visibility water
• Limit splashing
• Use the Sharktivity app to track and report shark sightings
• Know the location of the emergency call box and Stop-the-Bleed kits at your beach

If You See a Shark and a Lifeguard Is on Duty
• Notify a lifeguard if a shark is sighted
• The water will be temporarily closed to swimming or surfing
• Beach goers will be notified when they can re-enter the water

Beach & Ocean Safety Basics
• Follow all signage and flag warnings at beaches and instructions of the lifeguards
• Never turn your back to the ocean
• Be alert for rip currents, shore break, and strong undertows
• If caught in a rip current:

•  Remain calm to conserve energy, and think clearly
•  Don't fight the current. Swim out of the current in a direction parallel to the shoreline
•  When out of the current, swim towards the shore
•  If you cannot swim out of the current, float or calmly tread water
•  If you cannot reach the shore, draw attention to yourself — wave your arms and yell for help

• If you see someone in trouble — get help from a lifeguard. If there is no lifeguard on duty, call 911
• Sand collapses easily; do not climb slopes or dunes, as undercut cliffs can collapse at any time without warning
• Deep holes can lead to burial and suffocation; do not dig holes deeper than knee level of the smallest person in your group