{"id":799102,"date":"2026-08-02T10:22:20","date_gmt":"2026-08-02T10:22:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/799102\/"},"modified":"2026-08-02T10:22:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-02T10:22:20","slug":"great-white-researchers-tips-for-staying-safe-this-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/799102\/","title":{"rendered":"Great white researchers’ tips for staying safe this season"},"content":{"rendered":"

Top tips for staying ‘Shark Smart’ this great white season in New England<\/p>\n

\"Sydney<\/p>\n

Digital Content Producer, Video<\/p>\n

With great white sharks feeding in Massachusetts waters this summer and beach-goers flocking to the sandy shores, marine experts emphasize the importance of being “shark smart.”<\/p>\n

Despite their reputation for being dangerous killers, white sharks tend to keep to themselves according to Dr. Megan Winton, a senior scientist at the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy. But their public presence is undeniable from late spring to early fall and Winton stresses the value of staying aware while they are visiting. <\/p>\n

“They really are just big fish out there hunting for their natural prey items,” Winton said. “So they’re not big monsters that are lurking off of our beaches. Humans aren’t on the menu, but you don’t want to get in the way of a big predator that’s hunting.” <\/p>\n

Here are Winton\u2019s top shark safety tips:<\/p>\n

1. Avoid swimming with shark food. Sharks in the Massachusetts area feed on seals, fish and other medium-sized marine life. So, if you see animals in the water, give them space.<\/p>\n

Video shows: Winton talks about white shark trends <\/p>\n

2. Be aware sharks hunt in shallow water. Many people inaccurately believe that sharks stay mostly out at sea, but according to Winton, sharks usually hunt for prey in shallower bays. White sharks spend half their time in water less than 15 feet deep.<\/p>\n

3. Listen to lifeguards. Lifeguards are always on the lookout for sharks in the water and will warn beach-goers if one is spotted. Additionally, if a beach is known to have a lot of sharks, large purple flags with a white shark on them will be hung around the area.<\/p>\n

4. Pay attention to where and how you are swimming. Avoid swimming in murky waters with low visibility. <\/p>\n

Also, try to swim in groups. Kayaking, paddleboarding or surfing alone can attract the attention of sharks and confuse them into thinking a flotation device is a lone seal or other type of prey. Winton said staying in groups helps deter curious sharks.<\/p>\n

5. Take advantage of the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy\u2019s Sharktivity app<\/a>. Available for free, the Sharktivity app is a map of the coast of Massachusetts with logged shark activity and sightings. <\/p>\n

Locals, tourists and researchers can use it to stay up to date with shark behavior. Data is collected by real-time receivers along with citizen and researcher sightings.<\/p>\n

6. If you’re in the water with a shark, stay calm. Winton said it’s important to be aware and not attract curiosity. Don’t flail, splash or make loud noises, which could mistake you for a shark’s natural prey. <\/p>\n

Drone video: Great white shark in waters off Cape Cod in 2024<\/p>\n

If you’re planning on heading to the beach this summer, remember there are a few easy steps you can take to reduce your risk of experiencing a dangerous shark encounter. <\/p>\n

“You wouldn’t go into a national park without bear spray, right?” Winton said. “Any time you’re entering a wild environment where there are large predators hunting for their natural prey, you need to take the appropriate precautions.” <\/p>\n

Video shows: Winton talks about white sharks not being “invaders”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Top tips for staying ‘Shark Smart’ this great white season in New England Digital Content Producer, Video With…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":799103,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[13373,5300,13369,339220,11342,15757,45617,339218,339217,5496,79,4814,8207,112356,20291,339219,2316,1977,282,13367,201,339216],"class_list":["post-799102","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wildlife","tag-atlantic-white-shark-conservancy","tag-beach","tag-cape-cod","tag-great-white-researcher","tag-great-white-shark","tag-group","tag-marine-biologist","tag-massachusetts-water","tag-natural-prey-item","tag-researcher","tag-science","tag-seal","tag-shark","tag-shark-season","tag-shark-week","tag-sharktivity-app","tag-summer","tag-video","tag-water","tag-white-shark","tag-wildlife","tag-winton"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/799102","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=799102"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/799102\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/799103"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=799102"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=799102"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=799102"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}