While paddleboarding near Cape Cod, a confirmed great white shark emerged just feet away from paddleboarding pair Margaret Bowles and Madeleine Cronin.
Bowles had asked Cronin to take a photo of her when an eight-inch grey fin appeared in the frame, turning a peaceful day on the water into a thriller. Cronin shared that the shark passed about a foot away from her board and she could feel it passing by.
Paddleboarders encounter paddleboard-sized great white shark
“Get to the beach!” said Cronin, who then paddled so hard toward safety that she broke her paddle.
The pair went on to report the sighting using Sharktivity app, where the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy tracks great white sharks in the area. Marine Biologist John Chisolm with the New England Aquarium confirmed the sighting as a white shark. Chisolm shared that while this protected location—a smaller bay within Buzzard’s Bay—is a relatively uncommon location for a white shark, it is not unheard of. Chisholm added that the pointed dorsal fin indicates a white shark, also sharing that the shark was likely a similar size to the paddleboards the pair was using.
Unfazed, both paddlers plan to return to the ocean and paddle again.
“I think we were both quite calm, given the circumstances, which I’m super grateful for, because it definitely would have been easy for one of us to freak out and fall off the board or something,” Bowles said to CBS news.
What to do if you spot a shark while out paddling
Chisolm emphasized that it’s important for paddlers to stay calm when a shark has been spotted and to paddle with the awareness that sharks are in the New England waters this time of year. Chisolm also recommended avoiding areas where seals and schools of fish are present to avoid being confused with prey and staying close to shore and well within the reach of first responders.
While shark encounters are comparatively common, instances of sharks attacking kayakers and paddlers are extremely uncommon.
According to CBS, there have been numerous shark sightings off the coast of Cape Cod in July 2025, with more than a dozen shark reports.
Massachusetts Shark Research Program writes that seasonal white shark sightings have increased and white sharks move more broadly through the North Atlantic than previously believed. With over 120 white sharks tagged off Cape Cod since 2009 and the Outer Cape seeing a growing population of grey seals, reliable white shark sightings in the area are on the rise. White sharks are found off Cape Cod from the second half of July throughout the summer then migrate to the southeastern US and Gulf of Mexico in the winter, with some larger sharks migrating into the open ocean as far as the Azores.
Additionally, researchers report that some evidence suggests that white shark populations in New England are on the rise in recent years due to a rebounding population after a period of overfishing and rising temperatures bringing white sharks farther north sooner.
