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Five white shark sightings were reported at Cape Cod beaches over the weekend, MassLive.com reports.
A great white, known widely as 'Mr. Spot Claw,' was initially spotted at 10:15 a.m. near Nauset Beach on Saturday (July 9), the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy confirmed via its Sharktivity public tracking app.
Beachgoers were advised to be aware of sharks, however, the beach remained open after the initial reported sighting.
Hours later, another great white shark was detected by a Nauset receiver at 1:05 p.m.
Two more sharks were confirmed to be spotted -- including at least one 10-foot white shark -- on Saturday, according to the Sharktivity app.
A total of five shark sightings were confirmed as of Sunday (July 10), which ranged from 9:40 a.m. to about 1:50 p.m. and included various points on Nauset Beach.
The latest report continues a trend of shark sightings off Cape Cod, which included a record number in 2021.
“We see more detections, but we also have many more receivers,” Jon Dodd, executive director of the Rhode Island-based Atlantic Shark Institute, told the Boston Globe. “We know these sharks have been in this area for a long, long time... millions of years. We’re getting much better at detecting them now.”
Last month, Head of the Meadow Beach in Truro closed due to a shark sighting on June 28, which was the 10th reported during a 7-day span and was among the more than 20 reported between May and June.
The first white shark sighting was reported and confirmed to have taken place near Great Point Lighthouse on Nantucket on May 29, the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy's Sharktivity app confirmed via NBC Boston.
Sharks are typically present in the area after following seals, which they prey upon, and purple flags are commonly put out by lifeguards to warn beachgoers of their presence, though attacks are rare. New England's last deadly shark attack took place in Maine in July 2020.
Chisolm shared a video at the beginning of shark season offering tips to help Massachusetts residents identify white sharks in the area, which can be viewed below.