Video footage captured by a drone showed an encounter between two great white sharks off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, on July 8.
The footage was shared by the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, which studies and advocates for sharks.
“FIRST FOOTAGE EVER! Drone footage of an interaction between two white sharks off the coast of Chatham yesterday, taken by Nate Jensen. Our local shark science team is hoping to see the high res version to learn more about the interaction,” the group said in a Twitter post.
FIRST FOOTAGE EVER! Drone footage of an interaction between two white sharks off the coast of Chatham yesterday, taken by Nate Jensen. Our local shark science team is hoping to see the high res version to learn more about the interaction. pic.twitter.com/L0cRedh7fv
— Atlantic White Shark Conservancy (@A_WhiteShark) July 9, 2019
The conservancy also said that Monday was a “busy day on the water.”
Greg Skomal, a senior fisheries scientist for the state Department of Fish and Game who also leads the Massachusetts Shark Research Program and works with the conservancy, and his team tagged three great white sharks in the area and “witnessed two predations,” the group said.
According to the group’s “Sharktivity” map, there were 11 sightings of great white sharks near Cape Cod on Monday.
Shark activity around Cape Cod is normal around this time of year but experts are still warning swimmers to be careful with a number of sightings being recorded daily.
“I ask people, if you’re going to be in an area where these sharks are hunting, and that’s particularly along the Outer Cape, parts of Cape Cod Bay as well, this a natural hunting ground for this species,” Skomal told CBS.
“Take into consideration that you are a land animal going in the ocean, and be vigilant.”
Busy day on the water! @MassDMF’s Dr. Greg Skomal, working with AWSC, tagged three white sharks (two off Nauset Beach and one off Chatham) and the research team witnessed two predations off Monomoy. pic.twitter.com/ujiMudoLgS
— Atlantic White Shark Conservancy (@A_WhiteShark) July 8, 2019
“They are following the food,” Skomal added, referring to seals in the area. “And the food, unfortunately, is very close to shore, and we are very close to shore.”
Cape Cod rescue officials have recently installed emergency boxes labeled “Severe Bleeding and First Aid.”
They have a tourniquet and other items used to treat shark attack victims.
The actions were spurred by the killing of a surfer, later identified as Arthur Medici, on Sept. 15.
A 911 call revealed that a witness who saw a shark attack Medici called the authorities.
“I watched the whole thing happen….It was a helluva hit, man. I saw the whole thing happen,” the caller said.
Medici, who was originally from Brazil and was living in Cape Cod, became the first fatal shark attack victim in Massachusetts since the 1930s.
Other Drone Footage
A video showing a shark eating a seal was captured by a drone last year.
Chris Palermo said he was operating the drone off Nauset Beach in Orleans when he captured the video, calling it “one of the wildest things I’ve ever filmed!!”
Palermo said he was on the beach when he saw something happening in the water, which soon turned red. He sent out his drone and tried to see what had happened.
He first spotted a half-eaten seal before seeing a shark come into focus.
“My hands were definitely shaking. I couldn’t believe I was filming what I was at the time,” Palermo told the Boston Globe. “The whole time I was thinking, ‘Don’t mess this up, don’t mess this up.’”
He wasn’t sure if the shark was a great white but the conservancy late confirmed it was.
Palermo said he wasn’t scared by the shark and went swimming the next day.
“You can see the seals, they pop their heads up all the time,” he said. “As long as you stay closer to the shore than they are, I think you’ll be all right.”
