© Merrily Cassidy/Cape Cod Times/USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
(Cape Cod, MA) – Over the July 4th weekend, Margaret Bowles and her friend Maddie Cronin had a shocking run-in with a great white shark. It happened while the pair were paddleboarding off Stony Beach in Woods Hole, Cape Cod. Just feet away from their boards, they spotted a dorsal fin — then calmly paddled to shore, capturing the moment on video.
Experts later confirmed it was indeed a great white — the first confirmed in Buzzards Bay since 2004. Ironically, Bowles, a marine biology enthusiast, thought there weren’t any sharks in the area. Despite the scare, she’s already been back in the water.
The shark, which they nicknamed “Steve,” wasn’t aggressive. Shark expert Greg Skomal reminded beachgoers that such sightings are rare — and attacks even rarer — but awareness is key.
