Cape Cod Bay is a large body of water located off the eastern coast of Massachusetts, USA. It is an extension of the Atlantic Ocean and is bordered by Cape Cod to the south, Plymouth to the northwest, and the Massachusetts mainland to the west. The bay is approximately 604 square miles (1,565 square kilometers) in size and is known for its picturesque beaches, scenic beauty, and diverse marine life.
Trying to catch striped bass in Cape Cod Bay these days? You might be competing with an incredibly powerful apex predator.
A great white shark was seen in Cape Cod Bay jumping out of the water to chew on a striper that was tied up to a fishing line for the second time this week.
Cape Cod Bay is a popular destination for tourists, especially during the summer months when people flock to its sandy beaches and charming coastal towns. It offers various recreational activities such as swimming, fishing, boating, kayaking, and bird-watching. The bay is also a vital ecosystem for marine life, supporting various species of fish, shellfish, and seabirds.
As college student Braeden Voyticky reeled in the 40-plus inch striped bass in the bay off of Dennis, a 12-foot great white came up out of nowhere and grabbed the large fish.
“It was like watching a crocodile snap a wildebeest in half,” Joshua Martin, 51, who took his son and his son’s college friends out on the fishing trip on Sunday, told the Herald.
“It was the most powerful thing I’ve ever seen,” added Martin, who lives in Carmel, N.Y., and was on the Cape for vacation. “It happened so fast. It was just incredible.”
The shark didn’t attack like a missile. It was like 2 or 3 feet out of the water, like parallel to the water. We saw the entire shark, and saw the bottom of its white tail. We could see its underbelly as it hit the water.
Joshua Martin
Those on board the charter boat “Prime Rate Sportfishing” were left in astonishment, wet from the shark splash, and with an amazing memory after the shark relished the feast. All that was left was the striper’s head.
“It was quite an experience,” said Prime Rate captain Don Parker. “We had just gotten out there, and then boom, the shark did a cartwheel and flipped right over, and the fish was gone.”
“There are definitely plenty of sharks around out there,” added Parker, who’s a full-time fire captain with the Harwich Fire Department.
A shark was spotted jumping out of the water and catching a striped bass on a fishing line only a few days before to this encounter with the great white in the bay off of Dennis. That shark sighting was reported off of Eastham in Cape Cod Bay.
Prime Rate charters leave out of Sesuit Harbor in Dennis, and the captain estimated that the boat was about 3.5 miles out from the harbor when the shark grabbed the striper.
“It’s not like we were way out in the middle of the bay,” Parker said.
Since Martin and Parker have been sailing together for a few seasons, nothing comparable to this has ever taken place.
“The shark didn’t attack like a missile,” Martin said. “It was like 2 or 3 feet out of the water, like parallel to the water. We saw the entire shark, and saw the bottom of its white tail. We could see its underbelly as it hit the water.”
“We were all kind of in shock for a minute,” he added. “My son and his buddies were all fired up and excited. They were just freaking out… We’ll all never forget it.”
One other takeaway for both Martin and his son, Zach: They absolutely will not be jumping in the bay that far offshore after seeing how the large striped bass attracted the apex predator.
Great white sharks hunt seals near to shore all along the Outer Cape in the summer and fall. Due to shark sightings and the discovery of sharks with tags, beaches have been closed to swimming.
