Lifeguard dragged underwater by white shark at Maine beach

A lifeguard was pulled underwater by a white shark at a beach in Scarborough, Maine on Saturday, officials said.

A Scarborough Beach State Park lifeguard was operating a rescue torpedo when a shark grabbed the device and pulled it and the lifeguard approximately 5 to 6 feet underwater, the Scarborough Harbor Master said in a press release. Officials did not share why the lifeguard was using the rescue torpedo.

The lifeguard was able to free himself from the strap attached to the torpedo and swim back to shore, officials said. 

A bystander saw the torpedo come 6 to 8 feet out of the water after the lifeguard began swimming to shore, the Scarborough officials wrote.

The beach was closed to swimming for an hour following the incident while lifeguards and public safety officials “assessed the situation and monitored the surrounding waters,” the harbor master’s office said. 

The shark encounter is consistent with other shark activity in the area, which is reviewed by New England Aquarium Shark Expert John Chisholm, officials said. Last week, Scarborough police issued a warning after two juvenile white sharks, both 6 to 8 feet long, were spotted near the town’s Pine Point Beach.

“There continues to be a significant number of white sharks being observed in the waters off the Scarborough Beach State Park and Higgins Beach areas. Recent observations have included multiple sharks moving through the nearshore waters and sandbar areas,” the harbor master’s office wrote.

Following the incident, the Scarborough Public Safety team reminded beachgoers to use caution when entering the water by avoiding areas with schools of fish, seals, or where birds are actively eating, and to follow lifeguards’ instructions. They also encouraged swimmers to not swim alone, to “understand that shark activity can occur close to shore and in relatively shallow water,” and to report shark sightings to lifeguard or public safety workers.