2011 Shark Sightings
August 23, 2011
The Shark Hunters took to Chatham again today after beach closures and shark fears in the past week. More sharks were tagged, and one even hung around the boat for a while!
August 12, 2011 -
On Friday, the 12th, the Shark Hunters ventured out to sea to attempt another day of tagging. The shark was spotted from the boat immediately upon arriving to Monomoy Island. However, a passing boat ran the shark down before the animal could be tagged. George spent the rest of the day flying up and down the eastern coast of Cape Cod, but to no avail. This by no means tells us the sharks are gone and swimmers should still use extreme caution and stay far away from seals. Weather will keep the hunters at the dock for the next few days, but as soon as the wind lets go and the sun comes out, the Ezyduzit will be back on the hunt.
August 2, 2011 -
Today, the shark hunters faced one of their greatest challenges to date. A 14 foot white shark was poised to enter Chatham Harbor and was dangerously close to Lighthouse Beach. George found the shark at 12:30 while the Shark Hunters were north of Chatham Inlet attempting to tag another shark. With the impending danger of the shark heading for a packed beach, the Ezyduzit was in hot pursuit. The shark was inside the inlet, about 500 feet from the beach when the Hunters got on the scene. The predator stayed deep, evading Bill's every chance to place the tag. An hour and a half long chase ensued, with the shark leading the Hunters all over Chatham Inlet. The fish made a critical mistake when it swam in to attack a seal pinning itself in shallow water. Seeing their only opportunity to win the chess battle with the beast, Niko swung the boat in close and Billy was able to place the tag. The shark then swam into the deep.
Lighthouse beach remains safe today.
July 31, 2011 -
10:30 A.M. - George spots 15ft white shark just south of South Beach not far from where two sharks were tagged this week. This shark did not have a tag in it.
July 28, 2011 -
Shark Hunters tagged two great white shark off of Monomoy Island. One shark was 16 feet long and the other was 10 feet long. Fox News was along for the trip, doing a story on the increasing white shark population along the island. That segment should air within the next two weeks.
2010 Shark Sightings
September 1, 2010 -
3 P.M. - The Shark Hunters tag a twelve foot white shark a half mile away from the seal that was bitten in half. It is doubtful that the shark tagged was the seals attacker due to the size of the bite on the seal. It was most likely a much larger shark that killed the seal.
2 P.M. - The Shark Hunters discover an adult female seal off the southern tip of south beach that had been bitten in half by a large great white shark. The animal had deep ragged lacerations that indicated it was a white shark.
9 A.M.- The Shark Hunters chase a sixteen foot white shark into shallow water off of South Beach. Billy was able to tag the shark but, due to faulty equipment, the crimp on the tag failed and the tag did not hold in the fish.
August 31, 2010- Shark Hunters leave the dock around six. Coming around the tip of Monomoy Island a large seal colony is observed. Two hours later we returned to the colony and discovered one of the adult females had been attacked while we were gone. The seal had a large chunk missing from her hind quarters and most of her internal organs were exposed. To evade the sea birds picking at it's exposed insides, the seal made one last effort to get back in the water. Once in the water it began bleeding profusely. We followed it for about an hour then were drawn away when George spotted a 15 foot white shark a few miles to the south. Attempts were made to tag the shark but it went into deeper water. The wounded seal was never seen again.
August 26, 2010- The team discovers a dead humpback whale ten miles east of Chatham. A sixteen foot female great white was witnessed circling the whale in a defensive manner. A cage was lowered into the water to attempt to get underwater footage of the animal. The shark came to inspect the cage and became snarled in the top of it. In her attempts to get away and swim freely she broke one of the bars on the cage by violently shaking it with its tail. No sharks were sighted close to shore but the water was murky and the surf was high which made it difficult for George to see in the water.
August 21, 2010
10:20 A.M. - Shark Hunters tag a 12 ft. Basking Shark about 1/2 mile south of where the Great White was tagged 20 minutes earlier.
10 A.M. - Shark Hunters tag a 12 ft. Great White at the south break of Chatham Inlet, right outside the Harbor. The shark was in 6.5 ft. of water and about 100 ft. off shore with dozens of people watching from the beach.
August 18, 2010 - The Shark Hunters attempt to go tagging early in the morning. No sharks were sighted, however the water temperature was unusually cold, at 53 degrees, mainly due to the south winds pushing cold water up from Davis Shoal. This does NOT mean that their are no sharks in the area and people should still abide by the closed beach rules and use caution at beaches that remain open.
August 12, 2010
12 Noon- Chatham Harbor closed to swimming due to shark sightings inside the harbor. South Beach also remains closed.
8:50 A.M. - The shark hunters tag a 13 foot great white shark. The shark was in four feet of water about seventy feet from the beach. It was swimming north and was located about a mile south of Chatham Harbor.
8:00 A.M. - An unconfirmed report came in about a ten foot great white in Chatham Harbor near the fish pier.
A pleasure boat witnesses a small seal attacked by a great white shark right outside of Chatham Harbor. Two photos were taken and the shark was confirmed as a 12-14 foot great white. The shark had a distinctive wound on the rear portion of its dorsal fin.
August 9, 2010 - George's Flight Report - Flew from Chatham Inlet to 3 miles North of Wellfleet Inlet. Saw no sharks. Flew southbound and picked up a 10-12 ft shark approx. 1 mile south of Chatham Inlet. He was headed south along South Beach. I followed the shark for about 5 miles. The majority of the time he was less than 100 yards from the beach (see picture below, shark is circled). The seals in the area were mostly on the beach. Some were in the water, but very close to shore.
August 7, 2010 -
George's Flight Report - Left Falmouth at 7:00 AM for Chatham. Saw 3 or 4 sharks off South Beach. Ezyduzit tagged a large shark (estimate 13'). Wind came up in the afternoon headed back to Falmouth. Landed at 15:00.
August 6, 2010 - George's Flight Report - Take-off at 8:00 AM from Falmouth. Flew over the eastern shore of the Vineyard then over to Muskeget area off Nantucket. Observed approx. 1000 seals in the Madaket area. From there went over to Monomoy and checked out along the beach as far as Nauset Inlet. Weather was great but no sharks were seen. Back at Falmouth at 10:15.
August 3, 2010 - 7:30 a.m. - George takes an early morning flight to patrol the beaches of Chatham. He finds a ten foot Great White at the mouth of Chatham Harbor. George spent about an hour in flight and that was the only shark seen today.
July 31, 2010 -
10:30 a.m. - Shark Hunters tagged a 10 foot great white shark.
9:30 a.m - A 400-pound dead seal is discovered by the Shark Hunters on the south tip of Monomoy Island.
July 30, 2010 -
3:00 p.m. - Due to the large number of Great White Sharks off of the coast of Chatham, the Harbor master and the Town have deemed it to be hazardous to keep the beaches open. The beaches of Chatham and Monomoy Island will remain closed until further notice. We ask that you heed this warning and refrain from surfing, tubing, or kayaking in the waters that have been closed. We will notify you on our site as soon as the beaches are safe to reopen. Thank You.
12:15 p.m. - George spots 3 Great White Sharks off South Beach in Chatham, all within a one-mile radius.Shark Hunters notify the Chatham Harbor Master and the Division of Marine fisheries of their recent findings. A photographer from The Boston Globe was up in the plane and photographed each of the animals.
8:00 a.m. -The Shark Hunters gear up to deploy hydro-acoustic buoys that will be spread around Monomoy Island and Chatham. Once the sharks are tagged with hydro-acoustic tags, these beacons will record every time a shark comes into proximity with one.
We plan to but the buoys out and continue tagging sharks tomorrow. If you are planning on boating in that area tomorrow, we appreciate your continued support. However these sharks are extremely vulnerable to the pressure wave created by boat wakes. It drives them down from the surface and makes tagging difficult. We ask that if you see the Ezyduzit to please watch from a distance of at least 1/2 a mile as to not interfere with the study.
- Thank You, The Shark Hunters
July 27, 2010 - Seven great white sharks spotted off of South Beach near Chatham Harbor. Sharks ranged in size from 10-18 feet. One 14 foot female was tagged with a pop up tag about 150 feet from shore. Shark Hunters advise people to be aware of their surroundings while bathing. Do not swim around groups of seals or in murky water. If you do see a shark, do your best not to startle it and DO NOT splash water. Quickly and calmly get to the beach and notify your harbor master or the Shark Hunters.
July 25, 2010 - Three great white sharks sighted, one off the tip of Monomoy Island and the other two near the north break of Chatham Harbor. One shark was confirmed sighted by beach goers from the shore. Shark Hunters gear up to attempt to tag sharks on July 27, 2010.
July 20, 2010 - George Breen sights 15 foot great white shark stalking seals south of Lighthouse Beach on the Eastern side of Cape Cod. In a failed attempt to attack a seal, the shark beached itself in shallow water but was able to turn around and swim back out to sea.
