Water evacuated after shark seen 10 to 15 yards off of southern New England beach

Some swimmers in southern New England got quite the scare on a warm summer day.

According to Mike Healey of RI DEM, they have confirmed that the water at East Beach in Charlestown from 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM yesterday was evacuated after one of their lifeguards spotted what appeared to be a shark fin about 10 to 15 yards off the beach, and then the fin appeared again about 30 to 40 yards off the beach.

A patron at the beach took video and shared it with the beach manager, who then sent it to an Environmental Police Officer. The officer came to the beach, and it was identified as a thresher shark.

courtesy of RI DEM

Healey stated that The thresher shark – named for its long, scythe-like tail, which is used to stun fish before preying on them – is one of the most common sharks found in Rhode Island’s coastal waters.

“We estimate that the shark at East Beach was about six feet long, thus a juvenile, and came close to shore because it was chasing and feeding on baitfish such as menhaden.”

DEM’s shark incident protocol calls for swimmers to evacuate the water for an hour after an actual or suspected shark sighting.

“We take seriously our responsibility to protect the health and safety of visitors to state beaches and appreciate the public’s help in identifying the shark yesterday.”