WELLFLEET, Mass. (WHDH) — Marconi Beach in Wellfleet was closed Wednesday after a shark bit a stand-up paddleboard within feet of the shoreline.
Cape Cod’s National Park Service said at around 10 a.m. the shark bit down on a swimmer’s board about 30 yards away from the shore and in 3 feet of water.
“He described it, a hit with force, similar if you were on a bike and you were hit by a car,” said Cape Cod National Seashore Chief Ranger Leslie Reynolds.
The swimmer, 69-year-old Cleveland Bigelow from Chatham, said he never saw the shark but the bite mark in his board appeared to be about a foot wide. He was not injured by the shark and only suffered a small gash on his leg from where his board hit him.
“I was obviously pretty scared. I then turned around and paddled as fast as I could to the beach because next to me there was like 30 kids from a surf school,” said Bigelow.
Bigelow said he alerted the surf instructor about the shark and the children got out of the water. The beach was immediately closed and reopened about two hours later when the area was deemed safe for swimmers. Handwritten signs remain up to warn swimmers to be careful.
Several marine crews are investigating, including the Atlantic White Conservancy.
On Monday, a great white shark attacked a seal within feet of Nauset Beach in Orleans, leaving a trail of blood in the water. The beach was closed for a period of time before later reopening. Several beaches in Chatham were closed earlier this month due to shark sightings.
More than 40 shark sightings have been confirmed off Cape Cod this summer.
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