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Maine lifeguard survives great white shark encounter
Greg Wilfert, a 71-year-old veteran lifeguard and director of Scarborough Beach State Park, survived a close encounter with a great white shark on Saturday afternoon. While swimming near a group of buoys, a shark grabbed Wilfert’s rescue torpedo, pulling him approximately five to six feet underwater.
Wilfert, who has worked at the park for 55 years, initially believed he had been caught in a boat propeller. He managed to free himself from the device's strap and swim back to shore unharmed. A bystander reported seeing the rescue torpedo fly several feet out of the water shortly after the encounter.
The incident led to a temporary one-hour closure of Scarborough Beach State Park while officials monitored the area. Shark expert John Chisholm of the New England Aquarium corroborated the activity, noting that a significant number of white sharks have been spotted in the nearshore waters and sandbar areas near Scarborough and Higgins Beach recently.
Authorities have urged beachgoers to follow lifeguard instructions, avoid swimming alone, and stay away from areas with schools of fish, seals, or feeding birds. Local officials are using drones and jet skis to monitor for shark presence in the region.
Entities
Greg Wilfert · John Chisholm · New England Aquarium · Scarborough Beach State Park · Scarborough Police Department
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Maine recorded its first and only fatal shark encounter in 2020. nypost.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Nearly a dozen young sharks were observed in the area last week. nypost.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Two juvenile white sharks were spotted near Pine Point Beach last week. www.boston.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Lifeguard Greg Wilfert was pulled approximately six feet beneath the waves by a shark. nypost.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Greg Wilfert has worked at Scarborough Beach State Park for 55 years. nypost.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] The beach was closed to swimming for one hour following the incident. www.memesita.com · www.boston.com · nypost.com
- [● 2 SOURCES] Multiple white sharks are currently moving through nearshore waters and sandbars off Scarborough and Higgins Beach. www.memesita.com · www.boston.com
- [● 2 SOURCES] A lifeguard was pulled 5 to 6 feet underwater after a shark clamped onto his rescue torpedo buoy. www.memesita.com · www.boston.com