Not so ‘Shark Smart’: Man at Cape Cod seaside noticed swimming close to seals

There’s a brand new poster boy for what to not do at Cape seashores this summer season.

A person was not too long ago noticed swimming close to seals at Marconi Beach in Wellfleet — the identical seaside the place a useless seal with shark bites washed up over the weekend.

Great white sharks come to the Cape each summer season and fall, because the apex predators hunt for seals near shore.

Shark researcher John Chisholm over the weekend used the swimmer’s habits to offer out shark security ideas.

“This is NOT being ‘Shark Smart,’ ” Chisholm posted concerning the swimmer, later including, “This is the same beach where a seal carcass washed up this morning.”

Chisholm confirms sharks sightings for the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy’s Sharktivity app, which over the weekend despatched out a number of shark alerts for nice whites being noticed near shore at Orleans’ Nauset South OSV.

“When we have busy days like this it’s usually because the team is on the water looking for sharks,” Chisholm wrote.

“Even though there may not be alerts every day, the take away message is to be aware of where shark activity is occurring so you can be ‘Shark Smart’ and take the appropriate precautions when enjoying your day at the beach,” added Chisholm, who’s additionally an adjunct scientist within the New England Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life.

Shark security tips embody: avoiding areas the place seals are current; being conscious that sharks hunt for seals in shallow water; staying near shore the place rescuers can attain you; not isolating your self; avoiding areas the place faculties of fish are seen; avoiding murky or low-visibility water; limiting splashing; and following all signage and flag warnings at seashores and lifeguards’ directions.

30 bottlenose dolphins stranded alongside Cape

Marine mammal rescue consultants responded to reviews of a mass stranding of as much as 30 bottlenose dolphins at First Encounter Beach in Eastham early Monday morning.

It’s now the most important identified stranding of bottlenose dolphins off Massachusetts, based on the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

The dolphins refloated with the incoming tide, whereas an extra 5 to 6 animals died earlier than the IFAW staff arrived on the Cape Cod Bay seaside.

Bottlenose dolphins are sometimes an offshore species, although IFAW has seen an growing pattern of those animals occurring nearer to Cape Cod’s shores lately.

The space throughout the “crook” of Wellfleet and Eastham is a globally acknowledged hotspot for mass stranding occasions because of the excessive tidal fluctuations and the shallow flats of Cape Cod’s distinctive geography.

“Similar to a person involved in a car accident, dolphins can become injured and exhausted during a stranding event and should never be pushed or dragged back into the water,” IFAW wrote. “Members of the public who encounter a stranded or distressed marine mammal should keep a safe distance and contact trained rescue experts through our IFAW Stranding Hotline.”

Those who discover a stay or useless stranded marine mammal on Cape Cod or southeastern Massachusetts are urged to name IFAW’s marine mammal rescue hotline at 508-743-9548.