"A bunch of sharks cruising the Maine coast may seem ominous, but it’s actually a conservation success story."
"Lifeguard Greg Wilfert was swimming off the coast of Scarborough, Maine, in August when he was yanked underwater by a force tugging on his rescue buoy. Wilfert, a lifeguard of 55 years, told local news outlet WFSB that he first thought he’d gotten caught on a boat propeller, but the real culprit was a great white shark.
The incident is one in a long line of great white sightings off the coast of Maine this year. It was a busy summer for shark sightings along the rest of the East Coast, but Maine, in particular, seems to have had a great white bonanza. A dozen sightings were reported in a two-day period near Pine Point Beach in southern Maine in August. Beaches were temporarily closed all over the state following multiple sightings throughout July and August. The sharks followed beachgoers through the end of summer: A great white was spotted off Wells Beach over Labor Day weekend, while a fisherman caught another on the holiday about 30 miles down the coast.
The waters off the coast of Maine are some of the world’s fastest-warming, and the Atlantic has seen a series of marine heat waves. The El Niño weather phenomenon is only boosting global heat further. But experts told WIRED that the reason for our recent glut of shark encounters is a lot more complicated than just attributing them to climate change, especially when it comes to great whites. Instead, a successful conservation effort decades ago is likely starting to pay dividends, coupled with more people bringing technology that can spot sharks to the beach."
Molly Taft reports for WIRED September 16, 2026.
