How a booming coastal escape learned to coexist with the ocean’s top predator

As great white sharks increasingly frequent the waters off one popular seaside destination, tourists are flocking there, too — but they’re experiencing the hot spot in a different way.

Cape Cod is a renowned seaside destination in southeastern Massachusetts that has long drawn summer vacationers with its picturesque beaches, historic coastal towns and lighthouses. In recent years, though, it has also become increasingly known for its seasonal population of great white sharks.

Far from deterring visitors, the presence of sharks is helping fuel a whole new type of tourism.

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The New York Times reported that Cape Cod’s tourism economy has grown from nearly $2 billion in 2019 to almost $2.8 billion, according to the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce.

At the same time, the National Park Service has recorded fewer recreational visits to Cape Cod National Seashore, the 40-mile stretch of coastline where white sharks are regularly detected.

Shark warning signs and "Stop the Bleed" rescue kits are now fixtures on the beaches.

The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy created and runs Sharktivity, a shark-sighting and resource app designed to keep beachgoers apprised of the sharks’ presence. It features alerts for confirmed white shark sightings close to public beaches, along with other shark-safety information.

The increased presence of great white sharks in Cape Cod’s waters has been linked to the recovery of the Cape’s gray seal population following the passage of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. The seal population grew from around 2,000 in 1994 to between 30,000 and 50,000 in 2017, the Times reported.

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A 2023 study published in the peer-reviewed journal Marine Ecology Progress Series estimated that roughly 800 individual white sharks visited the waters off Cape Cod between 2015 and 2018, making the area one of the world’s larger white shark hot spots.

Despite their growing presence, there is no evidence Cape Cod’s white sharks have become more aggressive or changed their behavior by hunting closer to shore, according to the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy. The sharks have hunted seals in shallow coastal waters since they began predictably returning to the area during the summer and fall.

"Sharks have changed behaviors and conversations more than they’ve changed demand," Paul Bordé, a local real estate agent, told the Times.

When life gives your town sharks, make shark-spotting profitable.

Cape Cod is a rising "white shark ecotourism destination," according to the Times. Shark seekers can hire a private charter through the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy for $2,500 or join an open-boat charter for $500 per person.

The 2½-hour trips use spotter pilots to locate sharks, and private charters can book up weeks or even a month in advance, according to the conservancy.

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The excursions aren’t purely sightseeing trips. Guests can participate in citizen science by logging shark sightings, using a hydrophone to detect tagged sharks and recording observations that contribute to ongoing research.

Because the trips directly support white shark research, a portion of the trip fee is tax-deductible, the conservancy writes on its website.

"The fact that we can go out and see them in a two-and-a-half-hour charter is incredibly unique," Hannah Leary, ecotourism coordinator for the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, told the Times. "We can just come out of the inlet and they’re all right there."

The shark presence may also be benefiting some swimming pool companies. Demand for pools has "spiked," the Times reported, and "one Cape Cod pool builder even advertises ‘shark free swimming’ on its trucks."

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The great white sharks’ presence has not been all adventurous sightseeing and tourism dollars, however.

A bodysurfer was bitten by a white shark in the area in 2012, and a swimmer was bitten in 2018. Both survived, but later in 2018, Massachusetts recorded its first fatal shark attack since 1936 when a white shark killed a 26-year-old boogie boarder.

"I understand the fear," Philadelphia resident Lisa DonDiego told the Times. "And at the end of the day, I recognize that the ocean belongs to them. But I still want to come to Cape Cod."

The National Park Service urges beachgoers to stay away from seals and schools of fish, swim in groups and avoid murky or low-visibility water. Purple shark flags at National Seashore beaches indicate that there has been a shark sighting, and swimmers are urged to follow all posted warnings and lifeguard instructions.

White shark activity also extends beyond Cape Cod’s peak summer season. The National Park Service warns that the predators remain active in the fall, even after seasonal lifeguard coverage ends at National Seashore beaches.