Shark sightings off Massachusetts

[AMurphy26]

Has anyone seen any sharks close to shore off the North Shore of Massachusetts? I dive Cape Ann mostly. Besides dogfish which are everywhere in late August around here. I have done shark cage dives for the last 4 years off Rhode Island and have seen sharks 3 out of 4 trips. Just curious if anyone from my area has ever seen anything else more interesting from a shore dive or close to shore boat dive. In my 15 years of diving, i havent seen much. Also, anyone know of any good wrecks in the Cape Ann area besides the Chester Polling. Im getting wreck cert. this summer.

Anthony

 

[mtsidford]

My buddy saw a Blue during a shore dive we were doing together 2 years ago near Folly cove. It came in at him lightning fast, took one look at all 300 lbs of him, spun and was gone just as fast. I saw a blue shark while boat diving off Graves light in Boston Harbor three years ago. It was my first shark sighting at the time and I didn't stick around to find out what he was up to. Now I like you can't wait to see more. I have seen many away from home. Coolest fish lately has been a 6 ft atlantic torpedo ray that I saw on 4 separate dives this past year in both Nahant and Cape Ann. Hope to see you out there. Sid

 

[AMurphy26]

Wow. Maybe im just not looking around enough while im digging for lobsters. Thanks for the reply. I used to dive alot at Canoe Beach and 40 steps in Nahant. Parking is a problem but i loved the "chimneys".

 

[crlavoie]

I've seen a few VERY large basking sharks over the years mainly from boats and usually out past Grave's and B-Bouy. However, I did get to see one in Nahant. Again, it was from a boat but it was basically on the beach for all intents. My father also saw a very ill Great White somewhere in the general vicinity. That was probably 12+ years ago... but it did make the news as did the the poor basking shark trying to enjoy the beach.

Not really sure what was wrong with the GW but it obviously attracted lots of attention and was surrounded by boats to the point that the Coast Guard had to intervene because the shark would do nothing to help it's self.

 

[PeaceDog]

I've heard some interesting stories about blues coming in to about a half-dozen Massachusetts dive sites, from as far south as the Cape to yes, Folly Cove. The most recent one was a friend of mine who was boat diving off of Lane's last summer and had an encounter with a particularly "unafraid" one.

I'm waiting patiently for my turn, and I'll have my video camera in hand.

 

[Scuba65]

My hubby has seen a big blue in Cape Ann last summer and he has encountered the Torpedo Ray there also.

 

[PeaceDog]

I think there are far more blues coming in closer than people realise...like I said, I'm waiting for my chance.

All the encounters I have personally been told about have happened at sites that can be on the high end of the difficulty scale to dive, like Cathedral, offshore at Lane's, the mouth of Folly, and Halfway Rock. I guess the greater the risk, the greater the reward. I am personally seeing a whole hell of a lot more dogfish and in much bigger schools than I used to.

Many times I'll hear know-it-all divers up here discount stories of blue shark encounters as ignorant divers who saw dogfish or liars altogether. All my friends are honorable, and quite frankly, you can only hear the same story so many times before you begin to believe it.