A 71-year-old lifeguard in Maine says he had a harrowing encounter with a great white shark after he was dragged five to six feet underwater over the weekend.
Greg Wilfert, who works as a lifeguard at Scarborough Beach State Park, told WHDH that he was out in the surf on Saturday swimming with other lifeguards near a group of buoys when he was snatched and pulled underwater.
He told the broadcaster he initially thought one of his lifeguard tools had gotten caught on a passing boat.
“I thought a boat had come by and grabbed my rescue can because I got pulled under, and I realized right away that it was not a boat, that it had to have been a great white,” he said.
Once he was free of his floatation device, he said he swam so fast away from the shark that he “could’ve beaten Michael Phelps.”
“I just swam as fast as I could to the surface, and then I just was hoping it wasn’t behind me,” he said.
Local officials told the outlet that the attack isn't a complete shock considering the recent shark activity in the region. WHDH reported that nearly a dozen young sharks were seen in the area just last week.
Despite their depiction in movies and the general fear surrounding them, shark attacks are still extremely rare. Maine's only fatal shark encounter occurred in 2020 when a 63-year-old woman was attacked while swimming with her daughter near Harpswell, according to ABC Boston.
After Wilfert's encounter with the shark, officials in Scarborough temporarily closed the beach to watch for sharks, according to WMTW.
The encounter left Wilfert shaken.
“It was frightening," he said. “I’m not going to deny that.”
He said he likely wouldn't be swimming near buoys anytime soon.
Since the incident, the lifeguards at the beach have started using a jet-ski and drones to survey the water for possible shark activity.
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