VIDEO: Rare tiger shark caught from shore in Falmouth
Tiger sharks are a warm-water species typically found farther south, according to John Chisholm, an adjunct scientist at the New England Aquarium. However, the sharks have been spotted more frequently in Massachusetts waters in recent years as ocean temperatures rise.
Looking to welcome August in New England at the beach this weekend?
If you’re planning a beach day in Massachusetts, you’ll want to avoid the beaches closed due to unsafe swimming water. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) states that swimming in the water at these closed beaches poses a threat of illness, often due to high levels of bacteria. Symptoms of water-borne illness can range from nausea and vomiting to a sore throat and fever, or even rashes and infections.
Heading into the weekend, 40 Massachusetts beaches are closed, according to MDPH. Here’s the full list.
What beaches in Massachusetts are currently closed?
The following Massachusetts beaches, listed by town, are closed as of Friday, July 31:
- Amherst:
- Puffers Pond at Mill Street (Bacterial Exceedance)
- Puffers Pond at State Street (Bacterial Exceedance)
- Ashby: Damon Pond Beach (Other)
- Ashland: Hopkinton Reservoir – Main Beach (Bacterial Exceedance)
- Beverly: Mingo (Bacterial Exceedance)
- Boston:
- Constitution Beach at Middle (Bacterial Exceedance)
- Constitution Beach at North (Bacterial Exceedance)
- Constitution Beach at Rec Center (Bacterial Exceedance)
- Chatham: Bucks Creek (Bacterial Exceedance)
- Chicopee: Chicopee Beach (Harmful Cyanobacteria Bloom)
- Dartmouth:
- Hidden Bay (CSO/SSO event)
- Jones Town Beach North (CSO/SSO event)
- Jones Town Beach South (CSO/SSO event)
- Dudley: Merino Pond (Bacterial Exceedance)
- Holden: Eagle Lake (Bacterial Exceedance)
- Lynn:
- Kings Beach at Eastern Ave. (Bacterial Exceedance)
- Kings Beach at Kimball Road (Bacterial Exceedance)
- Kings Beach at Pierce Road (Bacterial Exceedance)
- Middleborough: Camp Yomechas (Bacterial Exceedance)
- Oxford: Carbuncle Pond (Harmful Cyanobacteria Bloom)
- Plymouth: Fearings Pond at Beach 1 (Bacterial Exceedance)
- Quincy:
- Wollaston Beach at Channing Street (Bacterial Exceedance)
- Wollaston Beach at Milton Street (Bacterial Exceedance)
- Wollaston Beach at Rice Road (Bacterial Exceedance)
- Wollaston Beach at Sachem Street (Bacterial Exceedance)
- Rutland: Whitehall Pond Beach (Other)
- Salem:
- Children’s Island – Back (Bacterial Exceedance)
- Children’s Island – Wally (Bacterial Exceedance)
- Ocean Avenue (Bacterial Exceedance)
- Osgood (Bacterial Exceedance)
- Saugus: Peckham Pond at Camp Nihan (Bacterial Exceedance)
- Swampscott: Kings Beach (Other)
- Taunton: Watsons Pond (Bacterial Exceedance)
- Tisbury:
- Owen Little Way (Bacterial Exceedance)
- Tashmoo Beach (Other)
- Tashmoo Cut (Other)
- West Stockbridge: Card Pond Beach (Bacterial Exceedance)
- Winthrop:
- Donovans (Bacterial Exceedance)
- Pico (Bacterial Exceedance)
- Worcester: Coes Pond Beach at Mill Street (Harmful Cyanobacteria Bloom)
Most beaches are closed due to bacterial exceedance, meaning the levels of bacteria in the water are higher than the limits set by the MDPH.
Those in the “other” category can be closed due to a variety of chemical or physical hazards, such as riptides or poor visibility.
When will beaches in Massachusetts reopen?
According to the MDPH website, beaches can only re-open when their bacteria levels are back within the safe range, so there is no set amount of time for a closure.
The status of a closed beach can be checked on the website’s water quality dashboard, which is updated regularly.