July 10, 2008 Shark sighting closes Martha's Vineyard beaches

EDGARTOWN, Mass. (AP) - The island where "Jaws" was filmed got a real-life shark scare when two beaches were closed due to an unconfirmed sighting of a great white.

A spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation said state-run South Beach was closed for a time Thursday after the Coast Guard received reports of the shark sighting. Swimmers were also kept out of the water at State Beach in Edgartown.

A plane was sent up to try to confirm the sighting.

In 1974, Steven Spielberg chose Martha's Vineyard for the movie version of "Jaws," depicting a series of deadly great white attacks in the fictional community of Amity.

Shark attacks are extremely rare in waters off New England, but great whites have been known to occasionally prowl in the region. --- Information from: The Boston Globe, http://www.boston.com/globe

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)