A lifeguard escaped unharmed after a white shark grabbed his rescue device and pulled him beneath the surface at Scarborough Beach State Park in Maine, United States, according to local officials.
The encounter occurred on Saturday afternoon, August 8, while the lifeguard was in the water using a rescue torpedo, a flotation device attached to the lifeguard by a strap.
Scarborough officials said the shark grabbed the rescue device and pulled the lifeguard approximately 5 to 6 feet, around 1.5 to 1.8 metres, below the surface. The lifeguard managed to release himself from the strap before swimming safely back to shore. He was not reported injured.
A witness also reported seeing the rescue torpedo rise several feet out of the water shortly after the incident.
Scarborough Marine Resource Officer Daryen Granata said the circumstances of the encounter were consistent with other shark activity observed in the area. According to Granata, the incident was reviewed with John Chisholm, a shark expert with the New England Aquarium.
Beach Temporarily Closed
Following the encounter, Scarborough Beach State Park was closed to swimming for approximately one hour while lifeguards and public safety personnel assessed conditions and monitored the surrounding waters.
Local officials said a number of white sharks have recently been observed in waters around Scarborough Beach State Park and Higgins Beach, including animals moving through shallow areas close to shore and around sandbars.
Authorities have asked beachgoers to follow lifeguard instructions and posted advisories, avoid swimming near seals or schools of fish, and leave the water immediately when instructed by public safety personnel. Swimmers have also been advised not to enter the water alone and to remain alert to changing conditions.
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The Town of Scarborough said monitoring of shark activity in the area will continue.
Elsewhere on the Maine coast, swimming restrictions have also been introduced at some beaches following recent shark sightings.
The Scarborough incident involved the shark making contact with the lifeguard’s rescue equipment rather than a reported bite on the lifeguard himself.
Recent White Shark Sightings Near Scarborough
The encounter came only days after several white sharks were reported in coastal waters around Scarborough.
On August 4, Scarborough officials confirmed sightings of two sharks near Pine Point Beach, off the southern tip of Prouts Neck and close to the mouth of the Scarborough River. After reviewing video footage, a shark expert with the New England Aquarium identified the animals as likely juvenile white sharks. They were estimated at approximately 6 to 8 feet in length.
The following day, monitoring by the Scarborough Public Safety Team documented an additional five to seven white sharks in the same general area. The sharks were observed by drone swimming and feeding in nearshore waters. Officials said there were no reported injuries or aggressive interactions with people during those sightings.
Authorities said the increased activity may be associated with seasonal prey availability, including schools of baitfish and seals. The sightings prompted officials to urge swimmers and other water users to remain alert, avoid areas where seals or large schools of fish are present, and leave the water if a shark is observed.
White shark presence in this part of Maine is also being actively studied. The Maine Department of Marine Resources operates an inshore white shark monitoring programme using acoustic receivers along the coast. Its 2025 monitoring report found that receivers near Scarborough Beach and Higgins Beach recorded some of the highest levels of shark activity within the monitoring network that year. The department cautions, however, that reported sightings alone should not be interpreted as a direct measure of shark abundance.
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