College Friends Paddleboarding on July 4th Freeze as Giant Shark Surfaces Just Feet Away

More Info: nypost

What started as a peaceful holiday paddle turned into a once-in-a-lifetime encounter that Margaret Bowles and Maddie Cronin will never forget.

The two college friends were soaking in the golden light of a Cape Cod evening, gently gliding across the calm waters off Woods Hole. Laughter echoed across the bay as Maddie filmed Margaret splashing and posing on her paddleboard—until something just beneath the surface stole their breath.

A dark fin, massive and unmistakably real, broke through the water only feet away.

At first, it didn’t feel real. Margaret froze, wide-eyed, then scrambled onto her board. Maddie, still filming, could hardly believe what she was seeing. “It was fleshy, gray, and sticking way out of the water. I just thought—That’s a shark. We need to leave. Now,” Margaret said later, still sounding a little shocked.

They made it to shore safely, hearts pounding but outwardly calm. It wasn’t until they reviewed Maddie’s photos that the full weight of the moment hit them: a great white shark, inches from where they’d been floating just moments earlier.

The photo captured everything—Margaret’s terrified expression, the unmistakable dorsal fin slicing the surface, and the uneasy closeness of something wild and powerful.

“We couldn’t stop saying, ‘This can’t be real,’” Margaret recalled. “I’ve studied marine biology in these very waters, I swim here all the time — I never imagined something like this could actually happen.” I teach people about this ocean. I always told my friends, ‘Sharks don’t come here.’ I really believed that.”

But the ocean had other plans.

Experts at the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries reviewed the images and confirmed it: the friends had come face to face with a great white shark, right there in Buzzards Bay. It was the first confirmed sighting in that spot in over 20 years.

And yet, the mood remained surprisingly light. Back on the beach, they nicknamed their unexpected visitor “Steve.”

“Maybe Steve just got lost and was asking for directions,” they joked.

Even after the shock, the two haven’t let fear keep them away from the sea they love. Margaret has already gone swimming again—just not in her wetsuit for now. “That seems like tempting fate,” she laughed. “But I still love the water. What happened was rare. Steve was probably just passing through.”

Shark biologist Greg Skomal explained that while white sharks typically stick to the Outer Cape, they do sometimes wander into Buzzards Bay. “If you spot a shark, try not to panic,” he advised. “The odds of an actual incident are extremely low. Just stay calm and quietly put some distance between you and the animal.”

For Margaret and Maddie, the moment was more awe-inspiring than terrifying. They’ll never forget the adrenaline, the disbelief, or the surreal beauty of that close call. It wasn’t just a shark sighting—it was a reminder that even in familiar places, nature still has the power to surprise us.

And sometimes, even scare us a little.

But it also has a way of making us feel more alive.