A Maine lifeguard’s close call with a shark has officials urging beachgoers to pay close attention in the water. Greg Wilfert says he was patrolling off Scarborough Beach State Park on Saturday when something latched onto his rescue buoy and yanked him about five feet under. He first thought he’d gotten tangled in a boat propeller, then realized there was no boat. “I slipped out of my harness and got to the surface and swam as fast as I could back to shore,” he tells NEWS CENTER Maine. The 71-year-old—who WMTW reports has been a lifeguard there for 55 years—surfaced uninjured but called the experience “frightening.”

CBS News reports the incident comes amid a spike in shark activity along the East Coast. Scarborough marine resources officer Daryen Granata says at least a dozen sharks have been spotted near popular local beaches in the past week. “This is a large volume, larger than I’ve seen, and I’ve worked this area for 30-plus years.” Beachgoers are advised to steer clear of schools of fish, seals, or bird feeding areas; to avoid swimming alone; and to be aware that sharks can be found in shallow water near shorelines.

BANGOR, Maine (WABI) – It’s Maine Basketball Hall of Fame induction weekend.

The Cross Insurance Center is the spot on Sunday, starting with a celebratory brunch buffet from 10-11:30 a.m. in the ballroom.

The ceremony portion will run from Noon-2 p.m.

Attendees may enter at the Renewal by Anderson entrance.

Tickets are available here.

Inductees are Dave Ames, Bobby Campbell, Nik Caner-Medley, Gregg Cooper, Bob Davies, Nick DePatsy, Carrie Goodhue Ritchie, Nina Houghton Brown, Lynne McGouldrick Hasson, and Kristi Royer Ouellette.

This year’s legends of the game are Matt Arseneault, John Black, Tom Chard, Carroll Conley, Bruce Cooper, and Deb Smith.

The team honorees are the 1966 Cony boys and 1990 Colby men.

A great white shark swimming close to shore pulled a lifeguard underwater at a Maine beach over the weekend, according to officials who warned beachgoers of the “significant” number of apex predators in the area.

A lifeguard at Scarborough Beach State Park had a very close encounter with a shark Saturday afternoon.

The lifeguard was using a rescue torpedo in the water when a white shark grabbed the rescue buoy and pulled him underwater.

The lifeguard was pulled about 5 to 6 feet below the surface before being able to free himself from the strap, and swim safely back to shore.

This shark incident comes as numerous sharks have been spotted close to the Maine coastline, as the apex predators hunt for seals. In 2020, a 63-year-old woman was killed by a shark off the Maine coast.

“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,” the Town of Scarborough Maine Harbor Master and Marine Resources posted on Monday. “Recent observations have included multiple sharks moving through the nearshore waters and sandbar areas.

“The Scarborough Public Safety Team reminds beachgoers that the presence of white sharks in the area is an ongoing concern and encourages everyone to use caution when entering the water,” the town added.

With the incident over the weekend, a bystander reported seeing the lifeguard’s rescue torpedo come about 6 to 8 feet out of the water, shortly after the lifeguard had begun swimming back toward shore.

The reported shark activity and circumstances surrounding the encounter are very consistent with other activity off the beach, and have been reviewed and corroborated by shark expert John Chisholm with the New England Aquarium.

“This is a good reminder that white sharks can be found throughout New England and the Canadian Maritimes this time of year,” Chisholm wrote. “Please be ‘Shark Smart’ and review shark safety guidelines before going in the water.”