Great White shark attack frightens kayakers; swimmers asked to stay away

PLYMOUTH, Mass. (AP/ MyFoxBoston.com) - Two women kayaking off Plymouth to get a closer look at seals instead had a close encounter with what turned out to be a great white shark.

Ida Parker and Kristin Orr say they were about 150 yards off shore Wednesday evening taking pictures of seals when something came up from beneath and tried to take a bite of one kayak, spilling both of them into the water.

The fish swam away and the Plymouth harbormaster rescued the women after multiple people called 911.

A spokeswoman for the state Division of Marine Fisheries says an agency expert determined that it was a great white shark due to a tooth fragment and the bite radius left in one of the kayaks.

The sharks hunt seals off the Massachusetts coast each summer.

On Thursday, the town closed Plymouth Long Beach, White Horse Beach, and beach areas along Stephen's Field and Nelson Park to swimmers.

"[if gte mso 9]> 800x600 If beach patrons choose to swim, they may do so at their own risk with the understanding that if they choose to enter the water, they should do so cautiously and avoid going into the water beyond waist depth," a  statement from the town read.