A great white shark grabbed a rescue torpedo and pulled a lifeguard about five to six feet underwater near Scarborough Beach State Park in Maine on Saturday afternoon. The lifeguard freed himself from the strap, swam back to shore and was not injured.
Daryen Granata, a Marine Resource Officer, said the encounter happened during shark patrol in the waters off Scarborough Beach State Park. He said the reported shark activity and the circumstances around the encounter were “very consistent” with other activity recorded by experts with the New England Aquarium.
Scarborough Beach State Park
The park was closed to swimming for about an hour after the incident while lifeguards and public safety personnel assessed the situation and monitored the area. A bystander reported seeing the flotation device shortly after the lifeguard started swimming to safety.
Granata said there continues to be a significant number of great white sharks observed in the waters off Scarborough Beach State Park and Higgins Beach areas. He said recent observations have included multiple sharks moving through the nearshore waters and sandbar areas. That makes the brief closure a direct response to an encounter that happened close to shore, not a separate weather or equipment issue. For a broader look at how other crews are using technology for shark warnings, see scientists in California deploying AI for Great White Shark warnings.
Pine Point Beach in Maine
The same waters drew attention earlier in the week when a great white shark swam close to a fisherman near Pine Point Beach in Maine on Tuesday. Taken together, the two sightings show that the shoreline from Pine Point Beach to Scarborough Beach State Park is drawing repeated reports over a short stretch of time. That is the practical takeaway for beachgoers: swimming reopened after about an hour, but the waters remain under active watch. Readers following similar patrol efforts can also review SharkEye drone testing in Southern California and a separate Great White Sharks update near the Outer Banks.
The encounter left the lifeguard shaken up, but he was able to exit the water safely and return to shore without further incident. What happened to the great white shark after it grabbed the rescue torpedo was not spelled out, but the response shows the beach can be closed again quickly if another close pass is reported.
