Lifeguard Greg Wilfert was swimming off the coast of Scarborough, Maine, in August when he was pulled underwater by a force on his rescue buoy. Wilfert, who has been a lifeguard for 55 years, reported to local news outlet WFSB that he initially thought he had become entangled in a boat propeller, but the actual cause was a great white shark.
This incident is part of a series of great white sightings off the coast of Maine this year. The summer of 2026 has seen a notable increase in shark sightings along the East Coast, with Maine experiencing a significant number of encounters. A dozen sightings were reported in a two-day span near Pine Point Beach in August. As a result, beaches across the state were temporarily closed following multiple sightings in July and August. A great white was observed off Wells Beach over Labor Day weekend, and another was caught by a fisherman approximately 30 miles down the coast during the holiday.
The waters off Maine are among the fastest-warming globally, with the Atlantic experiencing a series of marine heat waves. The El Niño weather phenomenon is contributing to increased global temperatures. However, experts have indicated that the rise in shark encounters is more complex than solely being attributed to climate change. A successful conservation effort from decades ago is likely beginning to yield results, along with the increased use of technology that allows for better shark detection at beaches.
When the film Jaws was released in 1975, great white sharks faced significant population declines due to overfishing, bycatch, and trophy hunting. In the 1990s, federal protections were established for both great whites and gray seals, a primary prey species for the sharks.
Maine's shark monitoring system employs acoustic telemetry, which involves tagging sharks with devices that emit unique electronic signals. Underwater stations can detect these signals and log the movements of tagged sharks. Matthew Davis, a shark expert at Maine's Department of Natural Resources, noted that while not every shark is tagged, the program, which is less than a decade old, helps track shark movements along the coast.
Davis and Walter Golet, an associate professor at the University of Maine School of Marine Science, believe that there are more great whites off the coast this summer compared to previous decades, attributing this partly to the effectiveness of federal protections. Great white males typically reach adulthood in 26 years, while females may take up to 33 years, aligning with the timeline of federal protections. Research supports the idea that protections for both sharks and seals have contributed to population increases along the East Coast.
While climate change has led to significant changes in ocean conditions, its direct impact on great white sharks is less clear. Some studies suggest that high ocean temperatures could lead to overheating in great whites, forcing them to seek cooler waters for food. However, James Sulikowski, director of the Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station at Oregon State University, emphasized that great whites can regulate their body temperature, allowing them to tolerate a wider range of ocean temperatures compared to other shark species.
Davis indicated that the indirect effects of climate change, such as warmer ocean temperatures altering the habitat ranges of prey species, are more likely to affect great whites than the direct impact of rising ocean temperatures. Warmer waters may allow prey species to remain in certain areas longer, which could lead to great whites spending more time in those regions.
Additionally, the increase in beachgoers during hot weather and the prevalence of advanced technology, such as smartphones and drones, has made it easier to capture footage of marine life. Experts suggest that the surge in shark sightings in Maine this summer may be attributed to both the actual increase in shark populations and the improved visibility due to technological advancements.
"There are more of them, but they are also easier to see, so you have to untangle that," Golet stated. "I think we’re all sort of a prisoner of our own timeline."