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Great White Shark Likely Bit Cape Cod Swimmer
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Aug 1, 2012
Modified Aug 1, 2012
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Aug 1, 2012
Modified Aug 1, 2012
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A Cape Cod swimmer was bitten by a shark and Massachusetts' top shark scientist has confirmed that it was a great white. The victim, Chris Myers, was bitten on his legs at around 3:30 p.m. Monday at Ballston Beach in Truro and is currently in stable condition. "In all likelihood, these injuries can be attributed to a great white shark," scientist Greg Skomal told reporters yesterday, in what was presumably his busiest day of 2012. “While the last confirmed injury caused by a white shark in Massachusetts occurred in 1936, the weight of evidence—including eyewitness sighting of a fin, the presence of seals, and the extent of injury—points to a white shark.’’
Myers was swimming with his son when he was bitten. "It had a large dorsal fin and a very dark, blue gray color, then it made a torquing motion into the second swimmer," witness Anne-Marie Corner told the Cape Cod Times. "I was shaken, it was horrifying to see it." The state is currently tracking 9 great white sharks, which are all 9 to 18 feet in length. The 1936 attack killed 16-year-old Joseph Troy, Jr. in Buzzards Bay. Last month a white shark scared the bejeesus out of a few people on Nauset Beach.
Ballston beach remains open, and although a few people seem reluctant to swim in the chilly water, there are some who relish the shark buzz. "We're always out here during Shark Week on TV, and this year it got delayed because of the Olympics," beachgoer Audrey Raycroft said of her family's annual vacations. "Now we're like, 'It's Shark Week' for real!"
Tagged
prehistoric killing machines
shark week
great white sharks
cape cod
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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