SCARBOROUGH, Maine — A lifeguard was dragged underwater by a shark Saturday afternoon at Scarborough Beach State Park, though he escaped without physical injury, authorities said.
Incident details
The lifeguard, identified by local officials as Greg Wilfert, was participating in routine shark patrol around 1 p.m. when a shark grabbed his rescue torpedo — the buoyant rescue device used by lifeguards — and dragged him roughly 6 feet beneath the surface, Scarborough Harbormaster and marine resource officer Daryen Granata said.
Wilfert told WGME he initially thought he had been caught in a boat propeller until he realized no boat was nearby. He said he was able to pull off the strap that had been tied around his chest, surface and swim to shore. Scarborough police reported a witness saw the rescue device break the water six to eight feet from shore as Wilfert came in.
"It was frightening, I am not going to deny that," Wilfert told WGME.
Officials said Wilfert was not physically injured but was "shaken up." Granata added Wilfert returned to work Sunday.
Response and beach status
Scarborough Beach was closed by Wilfert for about an hour after the encounter and has since reopened, Granata said. Scarborough Beach State Park operates its own lifeguard service and, according to officials, uses multiple resources to monitor marine activity.
- Drone surveillance flown every 30 minutes
- Utility terrain vehicles (UTVs) patrolling the sand
- Jet ski available to harass sharks away from swimmers
"The sharks don't like the jet ski," Wilfert said, describing one of the deterrent tactics employed by the lifeguard crew.
Context: increased shark activity
The incident comes days after videos captured more than half a dozen white sharks in waters near busy Maine beaches over a 48-hour span. Biologists and local officials monitoring the area say the number of white sharks lingering near Scarborough has grown and estimate the animals in the vicinity are juveniles.
| Reported detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Estimated shark sizes | 6 to 12 feet (juveniles) |
| Duration of recent video sightings | 48 hours (more than half a dozen sharks observed) |
| Time of incident | About 1 p.m. Saturday |
Scarborough officials and marine biologists did not report other shark interactions in the immediate area connected to this episode.
What lifeguards say about safety
Officials emphasized the beach's layered safety approach: lifeguards trained for marine incidents, frequent aerial checks by drone, and rapid-response watercraft. Granata said Scarborough Beach State Park is "very, very aware of what's going on over there," pointing to the presence of the UTVs, drone and jet ski as examples of heightened vigilance.
The lifeguards' shark patrol — the activity Wilfert and colleagues were conducting when the incident occurred — is a proactive step beach managers are using during periods of increased shark sightings to monitor and respond to potential hazards.
Practical impact for beachgoers
For now, Scarborough Beach remains open. Officials have not announced further closures or changes to park operations beyond the temporary shutdown immediately after the incident. Beach visitors should follow posted warnings and instructions from on-duty lifeguards and be aware that monitoring operations, including drone flights and jet-ski responses, may be more frequent.
As always, swimmers and beach users are advised to stay informed through local authorities and to avoid entering the water if sharks are sighted close to shore.
Reporting from Scarborough. — Nora Whitfield, State Correspondent
