Swimmers more cautious after suspected shark attack in Cape Breton, says warden

Swimmers are being a bit more cautious after last week's suspected shark attack in waters off Cape Breton, says the warden of the Municipality of the County of Inverness.

Laurie Cranton, who represents the Margaree community near to where the incident happened, said a group was on a boat offshore on Friday when they decided to go swimming. 

RCMP were called around 5 p.m. AT to an area roughly a kilometre west of Margaree Island, near Saint Rose.

"A lot of young people involved, and [it] was very traumatic for all of them," said Cranton, who says he has heard the woman injured in the incident is expected to make a "good recovery."

RCMP in Nova Scotia originally reported that a 21-year-old Cape Breton woman had been airlifted to hospital with serious injuries.

No official update on condition

Spokesperson Cpl. Chris Marshall said on Monday that the woman is actually 22, but could not provide an official update on her condition. 

According to Maritime Forces Atlantic, which oversees fleet training and operational readiness of the Royal Canadian Navy, people on scene reported seeing a dorsal fin.

Marine life experts say an examination of the woman's wounds would help determine whether it was a shark attack. They say that it is possible that a great white shark was responsible.

Cranton visited nearby Whale Cove beach to attend his son's wedding on Saturday. He said that people there were not wading too deep into the water.

"The beach was full of people, but they weren't going way out in the water like you normally would see them," he said. "And talking to some fishermen, they said it probably wouldn't be recommended to get in a boat and go out where this happened and swim again."

'We need to talk to the experts,' says warden

Considerations for great white sharks have been tracked to the Gulf of St. Lawrence in summer and early fall, but their presence is not considered common. 

Cranton said the municipality will now consider posting signs warning of shark dangers, and will check to see if local lifeguards are trained on how to react to any shark sightings.

"I don't think there's been any sightings in close to our beautiful beaches on the coast, but I think we need to talk to the experts and see what they think," he said.