A great white shark was captured on video violently feeding on a seal in the shallow waters off Nantucket on Sunday, turning the surf a deep red just steps from dry sand.
Carrie Drayton and Tyler O’Brien filmed the encounter near the Coskata-Coatue Wildlife Refuge while driving out to Great Point for a fishing trip, according to Breitbart. In the footage, the shark is seen thrashing the seal in the water before the surrounding shallows are clouded with blood within feet of the shoreline. The video spread across social media and went viral by Monday.
The episode is a vivid reminder of something researchers and local anglers have been saying for several years: Nantucket has become a reliable feeding ground for great whites, particularly during the warmer months when the species moves north.
A decade-long shift in Cape waters
The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy says white shark abundance around Cape Cod has climbed over the past decade, a trend the organization attributes primarily to the recovery of the local gray seal population — one of the sharks’ preferred prey. As seals have rebounded, so have the predators that hunt them, and Nantucket’s beaches sit squarely in that range.
This year has been especially active around the island. In June, fisherman Elliot Sudal accidentally hooked an estimated 8½- to 9-foot great white off Nantucket’s south shore, an encounter that drew attention to how early the animals were arriving.
“Everything has been showing up earlier the last few years,” Sudal said at the time, noting that sharks had already appeared even with water temperatures still in the 50s.
State tightens rules on shore-based shark fishing
The growing presence of white sharks has also raised concerns on land. Massachusetts officials later tightened restrictions on shore-based shark fishing around Nantucket after several incidents involving anglers targeting great whites close to swimmers and surfers. State officials described the practice as an “acute public safety risk.”
The crackdown reflected a tension that has followed the shark population’s recovery: more animals in the water means more interactions, both with prey and with people who want to catch them from the beach.
Gregory Skomal, a senior fisheries scientist with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, told Boston.com that the behavior seen in the video is not unusual for great whites in the area as they migrate north. The sharks follow the seals, and the seals congregate near shore — which is why scenes like Sunday’s play out so close to the beach.
What the video shows
The footage opens with the shark already engaged, thrashing at the surface as it works on the seal. Within moments, the water around the animal turns a dark red, spreading through the shallows and contrasting sharply with the sand visible just beyond the surf line. The violent but brief spectacle is a common sight for researchers who study the region’s shark population, though it rarely gets captured this close to shore.
For beachgoers, the episode underscores guidance that has become routine on parts of Cape Cod and the islands: avoid swimming near seals, stay close to shore, and be aware that white sharks are present in the area throughout the season.
Nantucket’s shark activity has drawn increasing attention in recent years as the animals have returned in greater numbers. The island’s south shore, in particular, has produced multiple notable encounters, including Sudal’s accidental catch in June, which he described as an unexpected turn during an ordinary fishing outing.
Officials have not reported any injuries to people in connection with Sunday’s incident. The seal did not survive the encounter.
The viral clip arrives as the region heads into the later part of the season, when white sharks are typically still active in the waters around Cape Cod and the islands before migrating south. Researchers say the timing and location of Sunday’s feeding fit the pattern they have documented for years: sharks moving north in response to a growing seal population, hunting in the shallows where their prey gathers.
For Drayton and O’Brien, the fishing trip to Great Point turned into a front-row seat to one of the ocean’s most dramatic predator-prey encounters — captured just feet from where they were driving, and shared with an audience of millions within a day.
Source: www.breitbart.com — https://www.breitbart.com/pre-viral/2026/09/21/great-white-shark-feasting-seal-coast-nantucket/