Plymouth officials closed the town's public beaches Thursday after a great white shark bit a kayak carrying a woman off White Horse Beach in Plymouth on Wednesday night.

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Two women, who were identified as Ida Parker and Kristin Orr, were taking pictures of seals about 150 yards offshore in separate kayaks, when the great white bit one off the kayaks.

"I looked back at her and it came directly out of the water, underneath the boat, launched her backwards and flipped me over," Parker said.

Both boats were overturned in the attack.

"It happened so fast," Orr said. "I was talking to her and the next minute I'm in the water and I just see a shark biting my kayak."

Parker described what it was like to come face-to-face with the shark.

"It was dark gray, pointy nose, big teeth, big eyes," Parker said. "It was like, right next to me. It was petrifying."

Parker and Orr, who were not injured, swam away, as did the shark.

A good Samaritan paddled out in his kayak to help, and the women were rescued by the Plymouth Harbormaster.

Originally posted here:

Beaches closed after great white shark attacks kayakers