Cape Cod beach closed after shark sighting
The Massachusetts beach was closed for an hour
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A Cape Cod beach was closed to swimming for an hour on Tuesday after a great white shark sighting.
According to the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy’s app, Sharktivity, Head of the Meadow Beach in Truro, Massachusetts, was closed from 1 to 2 p.m. ET.
The app publicly tracks both confirmed and unconfirmed shark sightings.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}It shows that there have been 11 confirmed and unconfirmed sightings over the course of the past week, some of which include photos.
CAPE COD SHARKS SPOTTED USING APP
A Great White Sharks tour boat is guided to a shark along Nauset Beach and Cape Cod National Seashore on August 12, 2021, in Chatham, Mass. (Staff Photo By Stuart Cahill/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images)
The Chatham nonprofit notes that the only way to avoid sharks is to stay on shore. Purple flags on New England beaches warn of sharks in the area.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Over Memorial Day weekend, several sharks were spotted in East Coast waters and the latest sighting come just days before the Fourth of July weekend.
A warning sign for Great White Shark biting incidents, Newcomb Hollow Beach, Cape Cod, Mass. (Photo by: Lindsey Nicholson/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
MAINE SCIENTISTS DEPLOY BUOYS OFF OF THE COAST TO TRACK SHARKS
The sharks follow the seals: their food source. Although attacks on people are rare, some shark species – like tiger and bull sharks – are known to swim in shallow waters.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The last fatal shark attack on the Cape was in 2018.
Shark warning and beach advisory at a Cape Cod beach in 2019. (Photo by John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images)
While the Boston Globe reports that more great white sharks were seen off Cape Cod in 2021 than in previous years, there are also more trackers.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A severe bleeding emergency first aid kit on Newcomb Hollow Beach, Cape Cod, Mass. (Photo by: Lindsey Nicholson/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Scientists say that warming ocean temperatures are sending sharks north earlier than usual, in addition to a resurgence of the bunker fish population.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.