Just stopping by to say hello. Photo: Gerald Schombs//Unsplash
A Maine lifeguard had a harrowing run in with a great white shark this week. Though it was a bloodless encounter, the experience left the lifesaving veteran of 55 years astounded by the sheer power he witnessed.
Greg Wilfert, 71, was on a routine patrol off Scarborough when something grabbed his rescue device and dragged him under. “The amount of force that pulled me under, I’ve never felt anything like that, never,” Wilfert told CBS News Boston.
“I thought I got caught in a boat propeller. It pulled me under and I realized when I was going under there was no boat,” he added. “And I knew what it was, I knew it was a great white.”
Once he realized what was happening, the solution became clear. “I said ‘I gotta get out of here. I got one chance,'” he recounted “I slipped that thing off as fast as I could and I swam to the surface and I just beelined it for the shoreline.”
Once there, Wilfert got straight to work, ushering other swimmers out of the water. Soon after, the beach was closed for an hour as a drone and Jet Skis combed the area for the shark, to no avail.
There have been no other shark encounters reported in the area, though Scarborough Police say sharks have been spotted at several nearby beaches. Officials said they would continue to monitor the area until the shark activity subsides.
