A rare fatal shark attack has been reported off the coast of Maine.
On July 27 Julie Dimperio Holowach and her daughter were swimming off Mackerel Cove off Bailey Island in Harpswell.
Holowach was wearing a wetsuit and was about 10 to 15 feet behind her daughter who was not wearing a wetsuit.
Around 3:30 p.m a witness with binoculars watched the duo as the laughed and giggled in the water. The man said Holowach was pulled underwater and he could only see her hands above the surface. Holowach’s daughter swam towards her and began screaming for help.
Two Good Samaritans in a tandem kayak came to the woman’s aid and carried her into shore.
Harpswell emergency responders arrived at the White Sails Lane location and pronounced the woman dead. Officials have confirmed the daughter did not sustain injuries.
A tooth fragment found in the wound confirmed a white shark as the species involved.
This would be the first record of a fatal shark attack in Maine and the second with injury. Based on the possible angle of attack, it is possible the shark believed the swimmer to be a seal or other prey item.
The Maine Department of Marine Resources has urged boaters and swimmers to use caution near Bailey Island and to avoid swimming near schooling fish or seals.
There have been close calls before.
In 2010 Scott MacNichol was diving off Burnt Cove, around 70 miles to the north of Mackerel Cove, taking samples and filming the ocean bottom.
During his dive, he noticed a large shape circling him and realized it was a shark. The estimated 8-foot-long shark circled him twice and began charging the camera. Thinking of his young son, he continued to surface and called for help.
While he was not injured, he did stay out of the water for several days.
The location of the fatal incident has been listed on the 2020 Shark Attack Map.
