Two kayakers managed to escape unscathed after a great white shark took a bite out of one of their boats Wednesday evening off the coast of Plymouth, officials said.
The incident was reported to the Plymouth harbormaster at about 6 p.m. Wednesday, according to Assistant Harbor Master Stefan Gustafson. Harbormaster officials responded to Manomet Point, about 100 yards off the coast, he said.
“The shark had bit through one of their kayaks,” Gustafson said. “Both kayakers were knocked into the water, and one of the kayaks was sinking.”
Harbormaster officials rescued the two female kayakers, who were in their mid-20s — one from Plymouth and the other from Barnstable, Gustafson said.
Earlier Wednesday, officials had received a call about a reported shark sighting in the area.
“We got a report earlier in the day that a woman saw a shark eat a seal,” he said.
After the sighting was reported, authorities searched for the shark and were unable to find it, Gustafson said. Following the attack, harbormasters deployed a boat to search for the shark, and State Police sent a helicopter to assist.
“First thing in the morning, we’ll be having a boat in the area, searching for any sightings,” Gustafson said. “We advise that people stay out of the water on Plymouth beaches such as Whitehorse Beach and Plymouth Beach.”
He said the shark was between 12- and 14-feet long, according to officials from the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries.
Kristi Selmi, a spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Department of Energy and Environmental Affairs, said the sighting was confirmed based on tooth fragments and bite radius on the kayak.
“Shark sightings have become a more common occurrence during the summer months due to an increasing population of grey seals in the area,” Selmi said.
Below are images of the kayakers and the bite mark on one of their boats:
This is Kristin...minutes before the great white #shark attacked, taking a bite out of her kayak. #wcvb @ 11. pic.twitter.com/dfqH0IpK9D
— Julie Loncich (@JulieLoncichTV) September 4, 2014Will the 2 women attacked by a great white off #plymouth tonight ever go kayaking again? They answer on #wcvb at 11 pic.twitter.com/wNIAYYpvBB
— Chris Roach (@ChrisARoach) September 4, 2014Look at the radius of the bite in the kayak. THAT and a fragment of the shark's tooth confirmed it was a Great White. pic.twitter.com/oX4nq1wkiC
— David Wade (@davidwade) September 4, 2014Best friends Ida & Kristin were attacked by a great white #shark...& lived to tell about it. What a story. #wcvb @ 11 pic.twitter.com/n9H0FBrCPd
— Julie Loncich (@JulieLoncichTV) September 4, 2014Talk about lucky! 2 women survive a great white #shark attack...& are gracious enough to tell #wcvb their story. @ 11 pic.twitter.com/9H1eDA0108
— Julie Loncich (@JulieLoncichTV) September 4, 2014Correction: An earlier version of this story cited the wrong date for the incident. It happened Wednesday.
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