Cape Paddleboarders Have Close Encounter With Great White

A photo shows the moment a shark’s fin (bottom right) appeared near paddleboarder Margaret Bowles. The top left inset photo captured her immediate reaction. (Madeleine Cronin Photos)

Two paddleboarders had what is likely the most memorable paddling experience of their lives last week when they had an up-close encounter with a great white shark off Cape Cod.

College students Margaret Bowles and Madeleine Cronin were paddleboarding off Woods Hole on July 4 when a great white shark swam close by.

Cronin was taking photos of Bowles on her paddleboard and inadvertently captured the moment when the shark’s fin popped out of the water near Bowles, stunning the paddleboarder when she saw it.

Both paddlers immediately made their way back to the shore.

An adjunct scientist with the New England Aquarium said the fin in the photo is most likely that of an immature great white shark.