For more than five decades, Greg Wilfert has spent his summers watching the ocean, helping swimmers, and responding to unexpected situations along the Maine coast.

At 71 years old, the veteran lifeguard knows the waters around Scarborough Beach State Park extremely well. Yet during one recent shift, something happened that even his decades of experience could not have anticipated.

While swimming near the buoys with a rescue torpedo attached to him, Wilfert suddenly felt the flotation device being pulled with enormous force.

Within seconds, he was dragged approximately five to six feet beneath the surface.

He initially wondered whether the equipment had become caught on something in the water. But when he realized that was unlikely, another possibility came to mind: a large marine animal.

Wilfert managed to release himself from the strap and swim toward shore.

He never actually saw the creature.

But moments later, another witness reportedly saw the rescue float shoot several feet into the air above the ocean.

The unusual encounter has since been linked by officials and experts to recent great white shark activity in the area, although the exact cause of the incident was not directly confirmed.

A Lifeguard With 55 Years of Experience

Greg Wilfert is hardly a newcomer to the ocean.

The 71-year-old has worked as a lifeguard at Scarborough Beach for more than 50 years and is now in his 55th year at the beach.

His experience means he has spent countless hours observing changing water conditions, helping swimmers, and watching for potential hazards.

That makes his account particularly noteworthy.

The incident happened while Wilfert was swimming near the buoys as part of his lifeguard duties.

He was wearing a rescue torpedo, a flotation device designed to assist people in the water.

Then something suddenly grabbed the device.

Instead of simply pulling it sideways, the force was strong enough to drag Wilfert several feet beneath the surface.

He Thought Something Had Caught the Float

Wilfert later explained that his first thought was that the rescue equipment had somehow become entangled.

He even considered whether a boat propeller could have been involved.

But as the situation developed, he realized that explanation did not seem to make sense.

He eventually freed himself from the strap attached to the rescue float.

At that point, he began making his way back toward shore.

The entire experience unfolded extremely quickly, leaving him little time to determine exactly what was beneath him.

That uncertainty remains one of the most intriguing parts of the story.

The Rescue Float Suddenly Appeared Above the Water

According to officials, another witness observed something unusual shortly after Wilfert began swimming toward land.

The rescue torpedo reportedly emerged several feet above the surface.

The object was said to have shot approximately six to eight feet into the air.

That observation helped reinforce the possibility that a large animal had interacted with the flotation device.

However, it is important to distinguish between a suspected encounter and a confirmed identification.

Wilfert never visually identified a shark.

There was also no direct description of the animal’s size or appearance.

The great white explanation is based on the circumstances, Wilfert’s account, witness observations, and the shark activity that had recently been reported along the coastline.

Why Officials Suspected a Great White Shark

The timing of the incident was significant.

Scarborough and surrounding coastal areas had reportedly experienced multiple shark sightings in the days leading up to the incident.

Officials said the circumstances appeared consistent with other shark activity in the region.

John Chisholm, a shark expert associated with the New England Aquarium, also reviewed the reported encounter and supported the assessment that a shark was a plausible explanation.

That does not mean every detail has been scientifically established.

Without seeing the animal, it is impossible to identify the species with absolute certainty.

Nevertheless, the combination of recent sightings and the unusual behavior of the rescue float made the possibility difficult for officials to ignore.

More Sharks Had Recently Been Spotted Nearby

Wilfert reportedly said that more than a dozen sharks had been observed in the area over several days.

There were also reports of nearly a dozen young sharks near Pine Point Beach within a 48-hour period the previous week.

Great white sharks are known to occur in New England waters, particularly during warmer months.

Their presence is closely connected to the availability and movement of prey species.

For coastal communities, seasonal shark sightings are therefore an important part of monitoring beach conditions.

The Beach Was Temporarily Closed

Following the incident, Scarborough Beach State Park temporarily closed the water to swimmers for about an hour.

During that period, lifeguards and public safety personnel monitored the ocean and assessed the situation.

Officials subsequently introduced additional precautions.

Swimmers were restricted to waist-deep water, keeping them closer to shore.

Lifeguards also moved closer to the beach, while a jet ski was used to patrol the water.

A drone provided an additional view from above.

The goal was not necessarily to suggest that an encounter was inevitable, but to give authorities greater awareness of what was happening offshore.

Why Great White Sharks Come Near the Coast

Great white sharks are naturally found in coastal waters around the world.

In New England, their movements are closely associated with seasonal changes and the availability of prey.

Seals are an important part of the diet of adult great white sharks in the region, which means areas where seals are present can sometimes attract these predators.

This is one reason beach authorities pay particular attention to shark and seal activity.

The appearance of a great white shark near a beach does not necessarily mean that the animal is interested in people.

It is usually responding to its natural environment and searching for food.

A Shark Encounter Does Not Always Mean an Attack

When people hear about a shark near a popular beach, it is easy for the imagination to fill in the missing details.

But wildlife encounters are more complicated than that.

A shark may pass through an area without interacting with people at all.

Likewise, an unusual movement in the water can have multiple explanations.

In Wilfert’s case, the reported interaction involved his flotation device rather than a confirmed direct encounter with the animal.

Because the animal was not seen, the exact sequence of events remains uncertain.

This is why describing the incident as a suspected great white shark encounter is more accurate than presenting the identification as established fact.

Wilfert’s Quick Trip Back to Shore

Once Wilfert realized that a large animal might be nearby, he understandably wanted to get back to land.

The veteran lifeguard later joked about how quickly he swam.

He said he might have been fast enough to beat Olympic swimming legend Michael Phelps.

The comment brought some humor to an otherwise unsettling experience.

But Wilfert also acknowledged that the situation genuinely frightened him.

After spending decades around the ocean, he understood that there are limits to what anyone can see beneath the surface.

“It Was Frightening”

Wilfert later admitted that the experience had shaken him.

For someone with more than 50 years of lifeguarding experience, that admission gives some perspective on how unexpected the encounter was.

The ocean can appear calm from above while countless animals move beneath the surface.

Even professional lifeguards cannot see everything happening underwater.

That is why monitoring, communication, and following safety procedures remain so important.

New Precautions for Beachgoers

Following the reported encounter and other recent shark sightings, officials encouraged swimmers to take additional precautions.

Beachgoers were advised to follow lifeguard instructions and avoid entering the water when restrictions were in place.

They were also encouraged to avoid areas where large groups of fish or seals were visible.

Swimming alone was discouraged, and anyone who spotted a shark was asked to immediately notify lifeguards or local authorities.

These recommendations are straightforward but important.

People do not need to panic when sharks are present, but they should respect the fact that they are sharing the ocean with wild animals.

Why Lifeguards Matter

The incident also demonstrates the value of having trained lifeguards on busy beaches.

Lifeguards are not simply there to respond when someone gets into trouble.

They continuously monitor swimmers, water conditions, weather, currents, and potential wildlife activity.

When conditions change, they can quickly modify swimming areas or temporarily restrict access.

Wilfert’s experience is an unusual reminder that lifeguards themselves are part of the environment they monitor.

They can encounter the same unpredictable conditions as anyone else in the water.

The Mystery Beneath the Surface

Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of the story is that nobody actually saw the suspected shark.

There was no clear photograph of the animal.

There was no confirmed identification based on direct observation.

Instead, investigators and experts had to consider the available clues.

Something powerful pulled Wilfert’s rescue float underwater.

He was dragged several feet beneath the surface.

A witness later saw the float emerge dramatically from the water.

And numerous shark sightings had been reported in the surrounding area.

Taken together, those details make the shark explanation plausible.

But they do not completely eliminate other possibilities.

The ocean contains many large animals and powerful natural forces capable of moving floating objects.

Until an animal is directly observed, the most responsible conclusion is that the incident remains a suspected shark encounter.

A Remarkable Experience After Five Decades on the Beach

Wilfert has spent 55 years working at Scarborough Beach.

During that time, he has almost certainly witnessed countless unusual moments.

Yet being unexpectedly pulled underwater by his own rescue equipment is likely to remain one of the more memorable experiences of his career.

Fortunately, he was able to free himself and return safely to shore.

The incident also prompted authorities to take additional precautions, giving swimmers and lifeguards greater protection while shark activity in the region was being monitored.

Final Reflection

The ocean continues to fascinate us partly because we can never see the entire world beneath its surface.

For Greg Wilfert, one ordinary day at the beach suddenly became an encounter with something he could not identify.

Was it a great white shark?

The circumstances and recent shark sightings make that explanation plausible, and experts considered it consistent with the available information. But because Wilfert never saw the animal, the exact cause remains uncertain.

That uncertainty is worth remembering when extraordinary wildlife stories spread online.

Nature can be surprising without needing to be exaggerated.

For beachgoers, the lesson is simple: respect the ocean, listen to lifeguards, stay alert, and give wildlife plenty of space.

Sometimes, the most intriguing part of a story is not knowing exactly what was beneath the waves.