A great white shark shocked two Massachusetts paddleboarders as it swam just feet away from the two friends enjoying their Fourth of July evening on the water. College students Margaret Bowles and Maddie Cronin were paddling in the waters off Woods Hole on the southwest end of Cape Cod when they saw the predator’s estimated 8-inch fin.

"The sharks and the humans are both on the water's edge more frequently in the summer," said Dr. Nick Whitney, senior scientist at the New England Aquarium.

Two college students who were paddleboarding off the coast of Cape Cod photographed a surprising close encounter with a great white shark on July 4. Margaret Bowles and Maddie Cronin were paddleboarding off of Stony Beach in Woods Hole when they spotted the shark's intimidating fin poking up from the surface of the water.