Great White Shark Comes Within Feet of Surfer Off Cape Cod Beach

ORLEANS — The final weekend of summer wouldn’t be fitting without the pleasant weather, and of course, another close encounter with a Great White Shark in the waters off Cape Cod.

The Orleans Department of Natural Resources posted a picture to Facebook on Friday of a Great White coming within feet of a man surfing off Nauset Beach, with a caption warning the public of the still dangerous presence of the sharks.

“A reminder to all beachgoers, as we continue into peak season for white shark activity. At 8:00 AM on Friday 9/20, there was a near encounter with a white shark and a surfer off Nauset Beach. Please remain vigilant,” the Department said in the post.

Shark encounters on the Cape have increased in recent years while wildlife officials and town governments try to combat the threat to beachgoers.

Last year, two shark attacks on were separated by just one month. On August 15, 2018, a 61-year-old man was bit at Long Nook Beach in Truro and was rushed to a Boston hospital with life-threatening injuries. He has since recovered.

On September 15, 2918, 26-year-old Arthur Medici, of Revere, was killed by a Great White Shark while surfing at Newcomb Hollow Beach in Wellfleet. Medici was pronounced dead at Cape Cod Hospital. It was the first fatal shark attack in Massachusetts since 1936, when a shark killed a man in Mattapoisett.