Great White Shark Confirmed Off the Coast of Scarborough, Maine

I remember swimming in the ocean at Winslow Park in Freeport when I was a kid, worried about if there were sharks in the water. My mom always assured me that there were no sharks in the oceans of Maine, but that didn't help after seeing the movie Jaws and being terrified of the shark. You know that scene, right?

Fast forward 40 years later, and things have changed in Maine. Great white sharks have been spotted in recent years off Maine's coast, and that's bound to make people a little nervous.

According to News Center Maine, multiple shark sightings were reported over the past week near Richmond Island, Crescent Beach State Park, and Pine Point Beach in Scarborough.

The Maine Department of Marine Resources was able to identify and confirm that there is indeed a great white shark off the coast, after looking at drone footage. They determined it measured about eight feet long. However, they weren't able to tell if this was the same shark that was spotted in Biddeford that closed Middle Beach.

I can honestly say that 10-year-old me would be freaked out by this, but you shouldn't let it ruin your plans for a day at the beach. Just make sure you are aware of your surroundings. Shark sightings and shark attacks in Maine are extremely rare. In most cases, sharks will avoid people. Attacks on humans usually happen when sharks mistake them for seals, which Maine has plenty of. That's a contributing factor to why shark sightings are more common here.