Maine Lifeguard Dragged Underwater by Great White Shark

A veteran lifeguard in Maine was pulled underwater by a great white shark over the weekend in a harrowing encounter that has prompted officials to warn of increased shark activity along the state's coast. Greg Wilfert, a 71-year-old lifeguard and park manager who has worked at Scarborough Beach State Park for 55 years, was swimming with a rescue torpedo buoy on Saturday afternoon when the shark grabbed the flotation device and dragged him beneath the surface.

Wilfert was pulled approximately five to six feet underwater before he managed to unstrap himself from the buoy and swim to safety. He initially believed a boat had snagged his rescue can. "I thought a boat had come by and grabbed my rescue can because I got pulled under, and I realized right away that it was not a boat, that it had to have been a great white," Wilfert told WHDH. He described the experience as frightening but said he focused on escaping. "I just swam as fast as I could to the surface, and then I just was hoping it wasn't behind me."

A bystander reported seeing the rescue torpedo shoot out of the water moments after Wilfert began swimming for shore. Once on land, Wilfert immediately shifted back into his...