A 63-year-old New York woman was fatally attacked by a great white shark while swimming off the Maine coast. For whatever they’re worth, I offer my condolences. That would be a terrifying way to go.
No one really expects to be attacked by a shark while swimming in the waters off Maine. Shark attacks are something we associate with the tropics, generally.
And yet, great white attacks are relatively common in the coastal and brackish waters of New England, at least in historic terms. One of the most infamous series of attacks occurred along the Jersey Shore in July 1916, when four people were killed by shark attacks. For more than a century, the Jersey attacks of 1916 have occupied a prominent place in shark lore, and served as a reminder that most of the ocean is dangerous, in one way or another.