There are photos and videos in this story, so here is the link if you want to check them out: https://www.wcvb.com/article/wellfleet- ... h/23239475WELLFLEET, Mass. —
A 26-year-old man from Revere died after being attacked by a shark in the waters off Cape Cod on Saturday afternoon, Massachusetts State Police said.
The man succumbed to his injuries following the attack in the waters about 300 yards south of Newcomb Hollow Beach in Wellfleet just after noon Saturday.
First responders performed CPR on the victim on the beach after the bite before he was transported to Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis, where he was pronounced dead.
State police and the Cape Cod District Attorney's office are handling the investigation.
Police said the victim's family has been notified. His name was not immediately released.
The Truro Police Department said all ocean side beaches in Truro will be closed to swimming until further notice.
"Today is just keeping everyone out of water," Wellfleet Police Lt. Michael Hurley said. "There'll be a determination later about what the town wants to do with the beaches going forward."
This was the second shark attack on Cape Cod this summer and the first fatal shark attack in Massachusetts since 1936.
Video from the scene immediately after the attack showed dozens of people working to help the victim, carrying him from the beach to the parking lot where an ambulance was waiting.
Sky 5 spotted a number of sharks in the water off the beach about two hours after the attack was first reported. Seals were also spotted swimming very close to shore.
The Wellfleet beach is popular with surfers, and with sunny skies and warm temperatures Saturday it was busy, even though the summer season was over and lifeguards were no longer on watch.
Joe Booth, a local fisherman and surfer, said he was on shore when he saw the man and his friend boogie boarding when the attack happened.
He said he saw the man aggressively kick something behind him and a flicker of a tail from the water. He realized what was happening when the friend came ashore dragging his injured friend.
"I was that guy on the beach screaming, 'Shark, shark!" Booth said. "It was like right out of that movie Jaws. This has turned into Amity Island real quick out here."
Booth said others on the beach attempted to make a tourniquet while others frantically called 911.
Hayley Williamson, a Cape Cod resident and former lifeguard who was on the beach at the time, was in disbelief after the man was rushed in an ambulance.
"We've been surfing all morning right here and they were just further down," she said of the two boogie boarders. "They were in the wrong place at the wrong time."
A Cape Cod politician said officials who did not more aggressive action against sharks bore some responsibility for the fatal attack. Barnstable County Commissioner Ron Beaty said he had warned something like this could happen.
"It is my personal belief that the responsibility for this horrible shark attack rests squarely upon the shoulders of the aforementioned officials for their utter lack of attention and inaction regarding the growing shark problem on Cape Cod of the last few years," he said.
The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, which has been conducting research into the sharks in our area for years, offered its "sincere condolences to the family of the victim, and all who witnessed or were affected by [Saturday’s] tragic incident."
"We remain committed to facilitating the study of shark behavior in an effort to provide information to the public and to safety officials who manage our beaches," the conservancy said.
Newcomb Hollow Beach is approximately 4 1/2 miles south of Long Nook Beach, where a 61-year-old neurologist from Scarsdale, New York, was attacked by a shark on Aug. 15.
I'll also take this opportunity to add an addendum to an exchange on another thread, wherein I was strongly in favor of the Cape having more to offer than Guin's stomping grounds nearer to Boston; definitely a vote in favor of Nantasket and other north and south shore beaches is that so far, there haven't been any major shark incidents there. The area of greatest concentration of shark activity has been the Outer Cape, where the greatest concentration of seal populations reside.
In this thread I posit the question - what do we do, if anything, about the sharks?
This is going to now become a really big conversation on and off Cape - it already has been all over the internet boards since the attack a few weeks ago of the NY professor who was bitten and severely injured off Truro, and with a fatality now, it will only get more strident.
I'm definitely pro-shark. I remember being terrified after Jaws was released in '75, and for the first time in my young life - spent largely on Cape with my grandparents, at their waterfront South Chatham beach house within clear sight of Monomoy Island NWR - I refused to go into the water. My grandfather finally addressed this phobia by dragging me into the water in his arms, standing chest deep and holding me tightly and soothing me with his words and caresses while I cried and trembled, until all the fear was exhausted out of me. I'm not sure if this was psychologically appropriate or not, but it did work for me (I think it might be a crude version of exposure therapy?).
Of course at the time shark populations in the area were nearly nonexistent, because seal populations had been decimated - but even still, chest high waters are considered relatively safe and I was never encouraged to go out deep when swimming and playing in the surf.
It's still the best advice of shark biologists that people stay in waist high waters, away from anyone fishing and any seals swimming in the area. Swim and play in groups rather than alone, and if you do see sharks, get out of the water.
The man who was attacked off Truro has acknowledged that he broke these rules - he swam alone, he went out deep into 10'+ waters. He did follow the advice he'd read or heard and he physically assaulted the shark AFTER it attacked him - he punched the shark's gills, which are one of the most vulnerable parts of shark anatomy (other areas are snout and eyes). This is why he believes the shark released its hold of him and allowed him to escape to safety.
I'm not sure we will ever know the truth of this most recent attack, although it sounds like it might be possible that the young man attacked the shark BEFORE it attacked him? Maybe he thought he could scare the shark away when he realized it was very close to him as he was boogie boarding? If so, this is in direct contradiction to the advice given swimmers by shark biologists:
This sign is posted adjacent to the beach where this fatal attack occurred today:The relative risk of a shark attack is very small, but risks should always be minimized whenever possible in any activity. The chances of having an interaction with a shark can be reduced if one heeds the following advice:
*Always stay in groups since sharks are more likely to attack a solitary individual.
*Do not wander too far from shore — this isolates an individual and additionally places one far away from assistance.
*Avoid being in the water during darkness or twilight hours when sharks are most active and have a competitive sensory advantage.
*Do not enter the water if bleeding from an open wound, and enter with caution if menstruating — a shark’s olfactory ability is acute.
*Wearing shiny jewelry is discouraged because the reflected light resembles the sheen of fish scales.
*Avoid waters with known effluents or sewage and those being used by sport or commercial fisherman, especially if there are signs of bait fishes or feeding activity. Diving seabirds are good indicators of such action.
*Sightings of porpoises do not indicate the absence of sharks — both often eat the same food items.
*Use extra caution when waters are murky and avoid uneven tanning and bright colored clothing — sharks see contrast particularly well.
*Refrain from excess splashing and do not allow pets in the water because of their erratic movements.
*Exercise caution when occupying the area between sandbars or near steep dropoffs — these are favorite hangouts for sharks.
*Do not enter the water if sharks are known to be present and evacuate the water if sharks are seen while there. And, of course, do not harass a shark if you see one!
*If you are attacked by a shark, a proactive response is advised. Hitting a shark on the nose, ideally with an inanimate object, usually results in the shark temporarily curtailing its attack. Try to get out of the water at this time. If this is not possible, repeated blows to the snout may offer a temporary reprieve, but the result is likely to become increasingly less effective. If a shark actually bites, we suggest clawing at its eyes and gill openings, two sensitive areas. You should not act passively if under attack as sharks respect size and power.
Some are saying the town is responsible for not doing more about the sharks - but I would argue the problem isn't the sharks, it's the people.
Thoughts?
