A recent spate of shark sightings near South Beach has pulled swimmers out of the water over the last few days.
Three separate sightings were reported this past Saturday, Monday and Tuesday, Edgartown parks administrator Jessica McGroarty told the Gazette by phone. The water was closed to swimmers for two hours following each incident.
“We’ve got the lifeguards on the ATVs and we’ve got the park patrol that go up and down who just advise people, ‘Hey the water is closed for the next few hours, sorry, we had a shark sighting,’” Ms. McGroarty said.
The sharks were viewable from the beach and ranged from roughly 15 to 30 feet away from shore, Ms. McGroarty said. The one seen on Saturday was roughly 12 feet long while the ones on Monday and Tuesday were about six feet each.
Shark sightings are common during August, but Ms. McGroarty acknowledged that three sightings in four days is more than usual.
“This happens in August. The water is warmer and there are seals out there,” Ms. McGroarty said. “That is a little out of the norm.”
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