Duxbury Beach Shark Sighting: Great White Shark Sighting Prompts Tighter Security, Beach Reopens After Closure [VIDEO]

Duxbury Beach shark sighting had swimmers taking caution until Tuesday, a day after a great white shark was spotted off shore. According to WHDH, the Duxbury Beach shark sighting occurred around 2 p.m. Monday.

After the large shark was spotted by authorities, swimmers were immediately ordered out of the water on Monday, reports CBS Local.

For a couple hours, the beach was closed. The Duxbury Beach shark sighting occurred as a Massachusetts State Police helicopter spotted a Great White shark swimming near the shore.
The shark was reportedly located far enough that it couldn't be seen from beach that only a Mass. State Police helicopter overhead was able to take a snapshot of the shark.

The Duxbury Beach shark sighting happened around 1:30 p.m. on Monday. The Mass. State Police helicopter estimates the great white spotted not far from Duxbury's Powder Point Bridge to be between 12-15 feet long.

According to My Fox Boston, the swimmers were ordered out of the water around 2 p.m. By 2:10 p.m., when everyone got out of the water, people were then advised to stay out of the beach for at least the next hour or so.

Duxbury resident Jack McWilliam explained of the order, "Pretty soon after that the lifeguard got on the bullhorn and said everybody out of the water. I've been here for 30 years and to mind this has never happened before."

A lifeguard at the beach named Victoria Moore confirmed the rarity of the incident saying, "This is the first time that we have had a shark sighting in these waters. It was coming in close."

Moore was told by Donald Beers, the Duxbury Harbormaster, to order everyone out for safety reasons.

Beers said, "That's really what we're trying to stress here. We know about it, there was a sighting, it's very rare, and just be cautious."

Around 2:40 p.m., the police helicopter followed the shark south as it went towards deeper water.

Swimmers were only told of the Duxbury Beach shark sighting by officials after everybody was out of the water.
According to the lifeguards, they were worried about causing hysteria if they told swimmers of the Duxbury Beach shark sighting before people were out of the ocean.

One lifeguard said, "We just told everyone to clear the water. We did not tell them why because we didn't want to have mass panic."

Peter Emmett, another lifeguard also said, "You can't tell people shark in the water. That'd be pandemonium."

Meanwhile, though some beachgoers were worried of the Duxbury Beach shark sighting, others had fun with it, reports WHDH.

One person reportedly even wrote on the sand, "You're gonna need a bigger boat," in reference to a famous line from the movie "Jaws."

Duxbury Town Manager Rene Read said, "I've had a number of people send me quotes from Mayor Vaughn in 'Jaws,' that's exactly how I feel so I'm trying to advertise the beach and say yes the beach is open."

According to My Fox Boston, the Duxbury Beach shark sighting was unusual as sightings usually occur on the other side of Cape Cod Bay.

Tracking of the shark by crews reportedly continued for more than an hour. The great white still lingered about a hundred yards offshore during that time. Fortunately, crews eventually lost sight of the predator as it went to deeper waters.

Around 3:15 p.m., after the more than an hour following the Duxbury Beach shark sighting, the helicopter cleared out of the area. By 4 p.m., the beach was reopened by officials announced and that swimmers could return at their own risk.

It was standard procedure for a beach to remain closed for an hour after a shark sighting.

According to CBS Local, Emmett the lifeguard said, "We advised them just stay within knee-deep and swim at your own risk, really, because it could come back at any time."

On Tuesday, helicopters went on to hover once again to ensure safety. There was also extra staff on the beach and scientists out on the water, said reports.

Duxbury Beach shark sighting did not hinder beach goers' enjoyment as officials have taken every precautionary measure to keep all visitors safe. The beach will reportedly be open for Labor Day weekend. There will also be an increased police presence to be expected during that time.

Watch a video of the Duxbury Beach shark sighting below.