Boston’s WHDH reports that Nauset Beach (Orleans, MA) was closed yesterday after a great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) was seen following a kayak. Walter Szulc, Jr was kayaking for the first time, according to the report, when people began shouting “shark.” Szulc turned around and saw the white shark behind him and immediately paddled into shore without further incident.

White sharks have been documented following kayaks in the past. Thomas Peschak’s 2003 series of photos of white sharks following a yellow sea kayak likely being the most well-known case.

San Francisco’s KGO-TV reports that a 52-year-old man was thrown from his kayak off Pleasure Point (Santa Cruz, CA) yesterday, after the kayak was bumped and then bitten by a shark. The man was unharmed in the incident and was assisted by boaters nearby who pulled the man from the water. Authorities believe a white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) was likely responsible for the bite based on the size of the bite marks and a tooth fragment recovered from the kayak.

Here’s a “shark trapped in a fishing net” video with a happy ending from Conservation International. The video documents a rescue effort by divers in Indonesia’s Cendrawasih Bay to release a whale shark (Rhincodon typus) from a “lift net” used for catching smaller fish. According to the video description, whale sharks can become entangled in the nets after being drawn toward them by the small bait fish that the nets are targeting.

According to the video description, the fishermen using these nets are looking at alternate designs that could prevent similar incidents.

Footage of the rare 3-gill sand shark (Carcharias sandu) was capture earlier this week at Poppit Sands in Pembrokeshire, Wales by YouTube user MrJoneshari.

The time-lapse video speeds through the lengthy process of creating a toothy shark out of sand and water. Kudos to the sculptor on a job well done!

A video posted by YouTube user elanajoy86, Elena Barnes, has created a stir of online criticism after the video went “viral.” The video documents a snorkel off Nassau, Bahamas in the presence of a variety of species of sharks common to the area. According to the video information, the drift snorkel took place in the presence of lemon sharks (Negaprion brevirostris), nurse sharks (Ginglymostoma cirratum), and Caribbean reef sharks (Carcharhinus perezii). Barnes describes the different species as “all very low on the aggression index.”

The criticism arose due to the fact that Barnes’ 5-year-old daughter also took part in the swim. Accusations (primarily in the form of blogs and YouTube comments) of irresponsible parenting due to the fact that a child is swimming in the presence of sharks. Barnes has since disabled comments on YouTube but notes in the video description that she appreciates those who are “greatly concerned” about her daughters well-being. She defended her and her husband’s decision to allow their daughter to participate in the swim and noted that her daughter was under constant supervision throughout the experience.

Barnes seems to have no regrets about the experience, despite some of the negative online backlash, and she even concludes the video description on YouTube by recommending the experience to others.

WPTV is reporting that a 6-year-old boy bitten by a shark off a Florida beach is expected to regain full use of his leg. Nickolaus Bieber was bitten on his upper-thigh near Juno Beach Pier on Tuesday (6/26) evening.

Dr. David Rankin told WPTV that Bieber will be walking again after “some work is done.” Rankin expects that it will be at least a week and possibly up to two months before Beiber will be walking again. Beiber’s parents told the press that their son is doing well.

While the species involved in the attack has not been determined, 6-year-old Bieber says he saw the shark as it approached and is “positive” it was a bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas).

For the full story, head on over to WPTV.

Hawaii’s WAFB is reporting that the Maui’s Kahana Beach is back open to the public. The beach was the site of a shark attack on Tuesday morning that left California teen Sage St. Clair with a non-life-threatening injury to her calf. St. Clair was treated on-site by fire personnel and driven to the hospital by her family.

St. Clair was sitting in shallow water near the shore when the bite occurred. While the species has not been identified, officials have stated that the animal involved was likely a small reef shark.

You can check out the full story at WABF.

Will the Shark Week 2012 programming will give sharks something to smile about?

Entertainment Weekly has published this year’s programming lineup for Discovery’s Shark Week. Shark Week 2012 will mark the 25th anniversary of the week-long shark-themed television event.

In recent years, the network has drawn some criticism for some of its sensationalistic programming, some of which played out more like horror movies than educational programming. However, based on EW‘s description of the new lineup, it looks promising that this year’s programming will focus less on blood and gore and more on educational shark documentaries.

• “Air Jaws Apocalypse” looks to follow in the footsteps of previous “Air Jaws” shows featuring Chris Fallows at Seal Island as he documents white shark predation events.
• “Shark Week’s 25 Best Bites” does not have a synopsis but presumably will be a “best of” type show counting down some of the top moments in Shark Week history over the past 25 years.
• “MythBusters’ Jawsome Shark Special” will feature the hosts from Discovery’s Mythbusters analyzing the top-25 shark myths.
• “Sharkzilla” will  the Mythbusters team attempting to recreate the prehistoric Megalodon.
• “How Jaws Changed the World” will take a look at the impact of the 1975 blockbuster “Jaws”  on society.
• “Shark Fight” will chronicle shark attack survivors who have gone out to fight for shark conservation awareness.
• “Great White Highway” will focus on research and technology being used to track white sharks in real-time.
• “Adrift: 47 Days with Sharks” rounds out the week of programming with a story of survival from two American pilots who spent 47 in the waters of the Pacific Ocean after their plane crashed into the water.

Nowhere to be seen in the 2012 progamming are titles like “Top 5 Eaten Alive,” “Killer Sharks,” “10 Deadliest Sharks,” or any other programming that hints at re-creations of “Rogue Sharks” wreaking havoc on unsuspecting coastal communities.

Perhaps, those who have become jaded with Discovery’s Shark Week programming choices over the past few years will be drawn back to the week-long shark celebration with this year’s lineup.

It’s that time of year again, and it should come as no surprise that great white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) have returned to Cape Cod for the summer. The Cape Cod Times reported last week that signals (transmitted from tracking tags) were received off Chatham, MA from two white sharks tagged last year in Cape Cod waters.

For the past few years, the presence of white sharks in the area during the summer months has been making news. It is believed that the large population of grey seals (Halichoerus grypus), a natural food source for the sharks, is part of the reason that the sharks congregate in the waters off of Chatham during this time period.

Thanks to the Shark Diver blog for pointing out this feeding event video, “Sharks attack whale” from Rachel Campbell on Vimeo. The video was shot in Western Australia at Warroora Station. Campbell describes the presence of initially “about thirty sharks, most of which seemed to be tiger sharks” and after scanning the beach she said there seemed to be about 100 sharks in the general vicinity of the whale carcass.

You can read more about Campbell’s experience with the sharks over at her 365 Days of Thankfulness blog.