Maine lifeguards clear the water before July 4 after shark sighting

Earlier this week, a reported shark sighting briefly emptied the water at a southern Maine beach just ahead of the July Fourth crowds. 

Lifeguards at York's Long Sands Beach raised a red flag and had swimmers get out of the water as a precaution. Witnesses said the interruption drew little concern.

What happened?

The precautionary water closure took place on June 30 sometime between noon and 1 p.m., after a shark was reportedly seen off Long Sands Beach, according to local outlet The Portsmouth Herald.

Beachgoer Deborah Wooldridge Hewitt told the Portsmouth Herald that she heard a lifeguard tell people the water was being closed for safety. She said that since it was a weekday, there weren't too many people swimming at the time. 

"No one seemed the least bit concerned," Hewitt said.

The reported sighting soon became a subject of local online speculation about the shark species involved. Joe Lipton — identified in the Portsmouth Herald as the owner of the Nevada and Stones Throw hotels at Long Sands Beach — said he believed it was a basking shark, while others suggested it might have been a great white.

Long Sands Surf School operator Luis Gatgens told the outlet that his class came out of the water with the other swimmers and stayed on shore for about an hour before returning. Gatgens said he was not sure the sighting was "100% real," but he had heard the alert originated with a fisherman near Nubble Lighthouse.

"He saw a shark and reported to lifeguards — it was a white shark," Gatgens said.  

Seasonal context

Sharks are commonly seen off New England during the summer, and tracking data showed several tagged white sharks in or near the Gulf of Maine on July 1, the Portsmouth Herald reported. 

These encounters can also be influenced by human activity. More people crowd beaches during the warm-weather months, increasing the overlap between wildlife and recreation.

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