Beaches reopened for the Fourth of July

On the Fourth of July, Village Beach in Amity, Mass was once again flooded with locals and tourists eager to enjoy the holiday.

Earlier this week, the deaths of two Amity youth’s were reportedly caused by a shark attack.
The mauled body of Wendy W. Watson, a sophomore at Amity High School, was discovered by an Amity Police Deputy, several hours after she disappeared.

Hours later, Alex Ferguson, a 10-year-old from Mayfair Court in Amity was killed while floating on a raft in the crowded water of Village Beach.

Following the second attack, the beaches were closed until the shark was killed and it was considered safe to swim again.

The beach reopened after a 16-foot Nurse Shark was caught and killed by anonymous fishermen in waters one mile south-southwest of Amity.

“While police urge vigilance, we believe the danger of further shark attacks has passed,” said Martin Brody, Chief of Police in Amity.

People at Village Beach were hesitant at first to enter the water but after a few moments it was full of fun and laughter again. That was until two young boys gave the beach-goers a scare with a shark hoax. After the false alarm the boys were apologetic for what they did and the atmosphere was once again full of excitement.

Nurse Sharks are common in the Atlantic and in the eastern Pacific, in coastal tropical and sub-tropical waters. They have been reported to exist anywhere from Senegal to Gabon, Rhode Island to Southern Brazil, and Mexico to Peru.

This species is very common in shallow waters throughout the West Indies, south Florida and the Florida Keys. Since 1554, there have been only 23 reported attacks where a Nurse Shark was the perpetrator. They are labeled as only dangerous to humans if provoked.

Armed shark spotters will continue to patrol the waters off the beach to ensure further safety. Any shark sightings should be reported immediately to police or Coast Guard.