A curious great white shark came close to a research diver off the coast of Massachusetts while feeding on a whale carcass.
A team of divers for the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy (AWSC) were viewing white sharked feed off the coast of Scituate - between Boston and Cap Cod - when one shark came along to say hello a few weeks ago, a video posted to X shows.
The shark approached one of the divers and came so close to the cameras that viewers could see its lunch hanging from its mouth.
The shark then gently circled around a bit, allowing the divers to view the 'unique markings along its face.'
There's been five great white sharks spotted off the coast of Cape Cod and one near Boston not far from Scituate within the last 48 hours, according to the AWSC's Sharktivity map.
A team of divers for the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy (AWSC) were viewing white sharked feed off the coast of Scituate - between Boston and Cap Cod - when one shark came along to say hello a few weeks ago
The shark then gently circled around a bit, allowing the divers to view the 'unique markings along its face'
A dozen more have been seen between Boston and the Cap in the last 30 days, including a few right off the coast of Scituate.
Cape Cod became a shark hotspot in the last 15 years due to warming waters and a rise in the seal population, with peak activity hitting around August and early Fall.
However, Cape Cod swimmers aren't rushing to avoid enjoying the coastal waters.
'Until we see someone get hurt by a shark, we probably won't change our habits,' Charles Washburn, who regularly swims in the ocean, told the Boston Globe.
'If it's my time, it's my time,' Sophie Walker, of Brewster, told the outlet.
The shark approached one of the divers and came so close to the cameras that viewers could see its lunch hanging from its mouth
Beach towns along both coasts of the US have enhanced their shark spotting capabilities by employing drones and planes, having lifeguards keep an eye out, and using colored flags to warn swimmers.
The National Seashore has prohibited swimming up to 33 times in recent summers due to sharks getting a little too close for comfort, according to The Globe.
The last time the Cape has seen a fatal attack was in 2018, when a 26-year-old was killed at Newcomb Beach.
However, on the West Coast, a California surfer had a terrifying encounter with a great white that nearly turned fatal.
Michael 'Jared' Trainor, 33, was catching waves off a remote Ferndale beach in October 2022, when his 'worst nightmare' became a reality.
Michael 'Jared' Trainor, 33, was catching waves off a remote Ferndale beach in October 2022, when his 'worst nightmare' became a reality (pictured next to his surf board that the shark took a bite out of)
Trainor was suddenly launched into the air by a massive 16 feet long great white shark, weighing over 1,000 pounds, that was lurking beneath the surface
Trainor was suddenly launched into the air by a massive 16-foot-long great white shark, weighing more than 1,000 pounds, that was lurking beneath the surface.
Trainor, a serious and experienced surfer, was dragged underwater by the shark, which began feasting on his right leg.
'As I went onto the board and started paddling, almost instantly, I was hit,' he said. 'It appeared that it [the shark] came up and pushed my left leg up into the air and latch onto my right leg and board.'
'I was lucky that the board was pinned beneath the lower jaw,' he told Fox News Digital.
'The last thing I remember was looking back at the beach and seeing where my dogs were and, when I came to, I opened my eyes underwater, and I could see the surface of the water, and I could just see this large black silhouette.'
The then-31-year-old man survived the shark attack by grabbing the shark's body with one hand and kicking the shark with his uninjured leg until the beast let him go and swam away.
