"REAL LIFE JAWS" PILOT SEES GREAT WHITES CHARGING SURFERS DIVERS

Scary sights on Chatham shark search

Pilot sees great whites charge diver, surfer

By David Abel, Globe Staff | September 10, 2009

There was no blood in the water, but the great whites clearly sensed something.From the cockpit of his Piper Super Cub, George Breen spent much of Tuesday afternoon circling the waters south of Chatham, helping a state research team spot sharks hunting for seals in the past week.As the pilot kept a lookout for the long, dark shadows lurking in the clear water, he saw something harrowing: sharks racing toward swimmers.“They definitely knew they were out there,’’ Breen said of the sharks. “Whether they’d bite them, I don’t know.’’The research team tagged three great whites Tuesday, bringing to five the number of sharks tagged with tracking devices in the past week. The discovery of sharks off Chatham forced the indefinite closure of the town’s beaches, but some ignored warnings not to swim in the area.In one instance, Breen said, he watched a shark approach a diver from a documentary crew making a film about the researchers. Breen said he was circling above the filmmakers’ boat when the diver jumped into the water to retrieve a piece of equipment. “I saw a shark going real slow about a quarter-mile away, ’’ Breen said, “and then when the diver jumped in, all of a sudden, I saw the shark head right for the boat, going from about 2 knots to 10 to 15 knots in an instant.’’He radioed the crew on the boat to get the diver out - right away. The diver, attached to a tether, was pulled out.“The shark definitely smelled something,’’ Breen said. “Their sensory perception is unbelievable. The shark was only about 100 feet [away] when they pulled the diver out.’’It was not clear whether the diver retrieved the equipment.Lisa Capone, a spokeswoman for the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, declined to identify the diver or the film company. Breen said he didn’t know their names.Shortly afterward, Breen said, he watched another shark dart toward a man surfing in the waters off Orleans. He said the surfer, who probably never saw the submerged fish, walked ashore as the shark got within about 100 yards of him. “All I can say is I think he’s just one lucky dude,’’ Breen said. “He was pointed right at the surfer.’’ Dan Tobin, director of Parks and Recreation for Chatham, said most people have avoided swimming in the area. He said he was not worried about the sharks affecting tourism.“I think the curiosity factor has kept people in town,’’ he said, “but I guess we’re fortunate that this is the end of the swimming season."