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See It: Great white shark lurking off Maine's coast spotted by drone

Authorities said the shark has been spotted Higgins Beach and Scarborough Beach. They are encouraging people to be aware of the shark's presence.

By Julian Atienza Source FOX Weather

Watch: Great white shark spotted by drone off coast of Maine

Police in Scarborough, Maine have confirmed that a great white shark has been spotted off the coast, near Portland. Police are encouraging the public to stay aware.

SCARBOROUGH, Maine – Police in Scarborough, Maine, are warning people about a great white shark that was spotted multiple times this week lurking near the coastline. 

The city's Marine Resource Officer first received reports of shark sightings near Richmond Island and Scarborough Beach on Monday. 

David Lancaster shot this drone video of the shark swimming near Richmond Island about 10 a.m. Monday. The drone was able to get very close to the surface of the water, where the shark could be seen clearly, with its trademark dorsal fin breaking the plane of the ocean.

Police estimate the great white to be 10-12 feet long.

VIDEO: SHARK, STINGRAY GET INTO TUSSLE OFF THE COAST OF PANAMA CITY BEACH, FLORIDA

Watch: Atlantic Ocean's largest recorded male great white shark gets tagged for tracking

Video from OCEARCH shows Contender, a massive adult great white shark being tagged off the Florida/Georgia coast in January 2025. Contender is the largest recorded great white shark in the Atlantic. 

Authorities said it was subsequently spotted Tuesday morning near the vicinity of Higgins Beach and Scarborough Beach.

Police said they will provide additional updates and are encouraging people to be aware of the shark's presence.

According to the University of Florida's International Shark Attack File, there were 47 confirmed incidents of unprovoked shark bites in 2024 with 28 of those happening at U.S. beaches. The university said the risk of being bitten by a shark remains extremely low.

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FILE - Great White Shark (Education Images / Universal Images Group)

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A great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), swims through a school of Tommy roughs (Arripis georgianus). (Auscape/Universal Images Group)

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BAHAMAS, CARIBBEAN SEA - DECEMBER 2007: A bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas) swimming on a sandy bottom on December 21, 2007 in the Bahamas, Caribbean Sea. Carcharhinus leucas belongs to the group of the five most dangerous sharks in the world, it is often implicated in attacks on humans. (Photo by Alexis Rosenfeld)

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Contender, the 14-foot, 1600 pound great white shark on the day he was tagged by OCEARCH in January 2025.  (OCEARCH)

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FILE - Great White Shark, Carcharodon carcharias, dorsal fin six nautical miles off the coast of Gansbaai, quite close to Dyer Iceland and Geyser Rock, a great white shark breaks through the water surface. Its dorsal fin is an individual, special distinguishing feature of the shark, unique and unmistakable. The dorsal fin and also the tail fin with its asymmetric structure are ideal for the mobility of the shark. (Education Images/Universal Images Group)

Great white sharks can grow up to about 20 feet long and weigh more than 4,000 pounds, according to the NOAA.

According to the agency, there are nursery areas for juvenile great white sharks in the waters off southern California and off Long Island, New York.