(Cape Cod) Visiting Shark Beaches

There's been an increase in great white shark sightings off the coast of Cape Cod this summer, but researchers are stating that the number of sharks hasn't actually increased.  After last year's fatal attack, everyone is on high alert and more people are looking for sharks.  I, for one, have had a lifelong fear of sharks that most likely stems from watching Jaws as a child.  Jaws was filmed on the Vineyard and closely resembles our Cape Cod beaches.  I remember as a teenager swimming out to the sandbar at Craigville and then fighting a panic attack as I swam back to shore in water well over my head.

Occasionally, a seal makes its way down to one of the beaches we frequent, but so far we have not had any shark sightings.  Well, there was one late last summer on the bay side but I think the shark was fairly far from the shore.



A couple of weeks ago, we spent the afternoon at Coast Guard Beach, which is part of the Cape Cod National Seashore.

 

The water here is nice and clear, not littered with the seaweed that oftentimes exists at our local beach.



Unfortunately, the drop-off to deeper water is quick.  In the next photo, Allie is standing, not kneeling.  You can see the difference in water depth.



And there are seals, and as we all know, you don't want to be near seals because you may be mistaken for shark food.



You can kind of see how close to shore he was.

Hi, Buddy!



In case you're wondering, the water temperature that day was a soothing 58 degrees.

Last weekend, we visited Nauset Beach at dusk per Emily's request.  Of course, the beach had been closed to swimming at 4:30 that afternoon due to a shark sighting and Emily lamented over how the sharks are always there when we aren't.  Don't know that this is necessarily a bad thing!



I can't tell if those are waves or shark fins drawn on the board.















We watched two guys enter the water for what appeared to be a surfing lesson.  At dusk.  And then a seal was hanging out near them.  There was a sign when we entered the parking lot warning that a shark had just been in the area three hours earlier.  Some people like to live on the edge, I guess.




Shell collecting.





My three (not so) little babies!