ORLEANS, Mass. (AP) — A paddle boarder had a close encounter with a great white shark off Cape Cod.

The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy shared on social media Saturday an aerial image of the shark swimming not far from an unidentified stand up paddle boarder off Nauset Beach in Orleans, Massachusetts.

The nonprofit group says the photo was taken from one of its shark spotter planes on Friday.

The conservancy issued an alert on the Sharktivity app it recently launched to track local great whites letting surfers and swimmers know about the presence of at least five white sharks in the area.

The conservancy is helping with a five-year white shark population study in Cape Cod’s waters.

Researchers told The Associated Press recently they’ve tagged or observed about 90 different great whites this season.

(Copyright (c) 2024 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Join our Newsletter for the latest news right to your inbox