A Maine lifeguard says he “started swimming like hell” after a shark latched onto his buoy and dragged him beneath the water off Scarborough Beach on Saturday.
Greg Wilfert said his first thought was that he had somehow become caught in a boat propeller.
“Because that’s the only thing I could think of until I realized there was no boat,” he said.
Wilfert said he was pulled roughly 5 feet underwater before breaking free and making it back to shore without injuries.
“It was frightening,” he said. “I’m not going to deny that.”
More shark sightings
Authorities along the East Coast say more sharks are being seen closer to shore, including in areas where they are not typically found.
Since last week, at least a dozen sharks have been spotted near popular beaches around the site of Wilfert’s encounter, according to Scarborough marine resources officer Daryen Granata.
“Usually we’ll see one or two here and there. This is a large volume, larger than I’ve seen, and I’ve worked this area for 30-plus years,” Granata said.
The trend is happening as conservation efforts have led to an increase in marine life populations in recent years, experts say.
“We’re gonna see more of everything, including more sharks,” OCEARCH founder Chris Fischer explained.
His nonprofit studies sharks by catching, tagging and collecting data before releasing them back into the ocean.
“It means just try to be a little bit more aware of what’s going on in the environment around you. You see a lot of life, steer clear of that,” he warned.
Still, shark encounters remain rare. Last year, the International Shark Attack File reported 25 unprovoked bites.
