Where have sharks been spotted off Cape Cod since August 9?

There has been an explosion in shark sightings on Cape Cod in the last week.

In total, according to the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy’s shark tracking app Sharktivity, around 75 sharks have been discovered or sighted around Cape Cod since August 9, plus two unconfirmed sightings.

Last week the number of sightings was about 18.

Sharks that have been tagged and named are typically spotted along the coast of Cape Cod. Acoustic tags transmit shark detection data in real time. Sharktivity shares this information and photos of the sharks.

One of these tagged sharks, most frequently sighted in parts of the Cape, was Pearl, a 2.75-metre (9 ft 1 in) male great white shark who was first tagged on September 28, 2022. He was spotted off North Beach Island in Chatham, first at around 5:41 p.m. and then again five hours later on Thursday, August 15.

Pearl then surfaced four more times on Friday, August 16. First, he was seen swimming off the shore of Newcomb Hollow Beach in Wellfleet at around 2:51 a.m., then he was spotted off Maguire Landing Beach in Wellfleet at around 4:58 a.m.

He returned to Newcomb Hollow Beach at around 7:51 a.m. before again being offshore at Maguire Landing Beach at around 9:58 a.m.

Several other sharks have been sighted around the Cape, including Aidan, Celia, Brody, Mr. Spot Claw, Mueller and Uncle Bill. Four tagged sharks have each been sighted at least three times, namely the recent regulars Fobinhood, Commodore and Scarface, and the shark Popcorn.

Popcorn is 2 feet (60 cm) larger than Pearl and was first tagged on October 14, 2021. She is a female great white shark who was first spotted this week on Tuesday, August 13. She was swimming off North Beach Island in Chatham at around 7:08 p.m.

Like Pearl, she was spotted off the coast of Maguire Landing Beach at around 1:57 a.m. on August 14. She was spotted again off Newcomb Hollow Beach at around 2:47 a.m.

Below you can see where there have been confirmed and unconfirmed shark sightings since August 9, according to the Sharktivity app:

• According to reports, a lifeguard spotted a shark around 3 p.m. on August 10, raised a red flag and asked all participants to return to the shore at Nauset Beach in Orleans.
• On August 10 at around 4:49 p.m., a great white shark was photographed attacking a seal off the coast of Cape Cod National Seashore in Chatham.
• A shark was reportedly spotted between Nauset Beach and Coast Guard Beach around 8 p.m. on August 10, but this is unconfirmed.
• On August 11, at around 9:07 a.m., a shark was reportedly spotted off Nauset Light Beach in Eastham. However, this sighting has not been confirmed.
• On August 11 at approximately 9:12 a.m., a great white shark was seen swimming north approximately 150 feet off the coast of North Beach Island in Chatham.
• A 10-foot-long great white shark was photographed swimming 30 feet off the coast of South Monomoy Island at around 10:26 a.m. on August 11.
• On August 11, at around 10:31 a.m., a great white shark was photographed swimming off the coast of Cape Cod National Seashore in Chatham.
• A great white shark was swimming north when it was spotted 100 meters off the coast of South Monomoy Island at around 10:40 a.m. on August 11.
• A great white shark was sighted approximately 100 meters from South Monomoy Island at around 11:24 a.m. on August 11.
• On August 11, at approximately 1:11 p.m., a great white shark was spotted swimming 180 meters off the coast of South Monomoy Island in Chatham.
• On August 11, at around 1:24 p.m., a great white shark was sighted 100 meters off the coast of South Monomoy Island.
• On August 11, at approximately 1:59 p.m., a great white shark was spotted swimming northwest of Scorton Neck Beach in Sandwich.
• A great white shark was seen swimming north 200 meters off North Beach Island in Chatham at around 2:19 p.m. on August 11.
• On August 12, at approximately 9:47 a.m., a great white shark was spotted swimming east approximately 20 feet off the coast of South Monomoy Island.
• On August 12 at around 12:08 p.m., a great white shark was photographed off the coast of the Sandy Neck Camp Sites in West Barnstable.
• One or two great white sharks were spotted off North Beach Island in Chatham on August 12, first 100 metres from shore at around 1:23 p.m., then 200 metres from shore at 2:07 p.m.
• On August 12, at around 1:26 p.m., a great white shark was spotted swimming approximately 90 meters off the coast of South Monomoy Island.
• A 12-foot great white shark was photographed at around 4:58 p.m. on August 12, “swimming at the surface for approximately five minutes during a Dolphin Fleet whale watching tour,” northeast of Race Point Beach in Provincetown.
• On August 12, at around 7:03 p.m., a great white shark was spotted swimming east approximately 100 yards off the coast of Nauset Beach in Orleans.
• On August 13, at around 9:34 a.m., a great white shark was spotted approximately 27 meters off Nauset Beach in Orleans.
• On August 13, around 10 a.m., a great white shark was photographed swimming south of Coast Guard Beach in Eastham.
• On August 13, at around 10:39 a.m., a great white shark was spotted swimming 70 meters from Little Pochet Island in Orleans.
• On August 13, at approximately 10:46 a.m., a great white shark was spotted swimming several miles east of the northern end of South Monomoy Island.
• On August 13, at around 11:11 a.m., a great white shark was spotted swimming several miles east of South Monomoy Island.
• On August 13, at around 11:38 a.m., a great white shark was spotted several meters off the coast of South Monomoy Island in Chatham.
• One or three sharks were photographed several miles off the coast of South Monomoy Island in Chatham on August 13, first at about 12:11 p.m., then at about 12:50 p.m., and then about 30 feet from shore at about 5:11 p.m.
• On August 13, at around 2:57 p.m., a great white shark was spotted swimming 75 feet off Nauset Beach in Orleans.
• On August 13, at approximately 4:24 p.m., a great white shark was spotted swimming 45 feet off the coast of South Monomoy Island in Chatham.
• On August 13, one or two great white sharks were sighted off South Monomoy Island, first about 35 meters offshore at about 4:25 p.m. and then at about 4:43 p.m. at 18 meters away.
• On August 13, at approximately 4:59 p.m., a great white shark was spotted swimming approximately 90 meters off the northern end of South Monomoy Island.
• On August 13, at approximately 5:50 p.m., a great white shark was spotted swimming approximately 10 meters off the coast of South Monomoy Island in Chatham.
• On August 14, one or four great white sharks were spotted off South Monomoy Island in Chatham:
  • First seen at 9:19 a.m., about 25 feet from shore.
  • About 20 feet from the shore, around 10:31 a.m.
  • About 20 feet from the shore, around 1:15 p.m.
  • Last seen 25 meters from the beach at about 16:26
• On August 14, at approximately 10:26 a.m., a great white shark was spotted swimming north approximately 100 miles off the coast of North Beach Island in Chatham.
• On August 14, at around 11:02 a.m., a great white shark was spotted swimming 200 meters off the coast of South Monomoy Island.
• On August 14, at around 11:07 a.m., a great white shark was spotted swimming east about half a mile off the coast of South Monomoy Island.
• One or two great white sharks were spotted off the coast of South Monomoy Island in Chatham on August 14, first about 30 feet from the island at about 9:47 a.m., then 50 yards away at about 11:33 a.m.
• On August 14, one or two great white sharks were sighted off Little Pochet Island in Orleans, first about 45 meters offshore heading north, at around 9:53 a.m., then at around 3:02 p.m., also heading north.
• One or two great white sharks were sighted off South Monomoy Island in Chatham on August 14, first about 100 meters east at about 12:12 p.m., then about 50 meters east at about 1:26 p.m.
• On August 14, at approximately 12:46 p.m., a great white shark was spotted swimming 75 feet off the coast of South Monomoy Island in Chatham.
• On August 14, one or two great white sharks were sighted off North Beach Island in the northern part of Chatham. The first sighting occurred at approximately 1:43 p.m. when the shark was swimming south and was 180 meters from shore; the second sighting occurred at approximately 3:06 p.m., also approximately 180 meters from shore.
• On August 14, at approximately 1:55 p.m., a great white shark was spotted swimming north 100 yards off the coast of Nauset Beach in Orleans.
• One or two great white sharks were sighted south of south-indented Chatham Harbor on August 14: one was sighted 100 meters offshore at about 1:57 p.m., then 150 meters away at about 3:23 p.m.
• On August 14, at around 2:33 p.m., a great white shark was spotted 10 meters off the coast of North Beach Island.
• At around 3:18 p.m., a great white shark was spotted swimming north 70 meters off the coast of Nauset Beach in Orleans.
• On August 14, at around 3:54 p.m., a great white shark was sighted approximately 45 meters off South Monomoy Island in Chatham.
• On August 15, at approximately 9:31 a.m., a great white shark was spotted swimming 20 feet off the coast of South Monomoy Island.
• According to the Sharktivity app, a 11-foot-long great white shark was observed swimming around a large seal with a “fresh bite wound” off the coast of North Beach Island in Chatham at around 9:35 a.m. on August 15.
  • At around 3:34 p.m., a dead seal with a large bite wound was washed ashore.
• On August 15, at approximately 11:23 a.m., a great white shark was spotted swimming south approximately 45 meters off the coast of South Monomoy Island.
• On August 15, at approximately 12:51 p.m., a great white shark was spotted swimming north 200 meters off the coast of South Monomoy Island.
• A great white shark was seen swimming 100 metres off North Beach in North Chatham at around 1:26 p.m. on August 15
• On August 15, one or two great white sharks were sighted off Monomoy Island, first at 1:46 p.m. at a distance of about 180 meters and then at about 1:52 p.m. at a distance of about 46 meters.