Sharks may be visiting Cape Cod during Labor Day weekend (photos)

One shark sighting was confirmed on Friday in the ocean waters around Chatham, Mass., by Greg Skomal, a shark expert with the Division of Marine Fisheries.

It is believed the species spotted was a great white, according to Lisa Capone, the press secretary for the Massachusetts Department of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

On Thursday, Skomal reported seeing as many as five large sharks in the same area off the eastern shore of Monomoy Island, a section of Cape Cod, just a mile from a public swimming area near Chatham’s Lighthouse Beach.

Residents and visitors have been advised by authorities to be cautious during this Labor Day weekend when visiting the area’s beaches.

Capone said, “It is the eve of the last holiday weekend of summer, and we want to make sure folks on the Cape are aware.”

The waters surrounding Chatham are home to several thousand seals, which is the main source of food for large sharks. Just last week, a shark was seen feeding on the body of a seal in that location, according to CNN.

In Massachusetts history, there have been only four documented shark attacks since 1670, and only two were fatal—the last fatality occurring in 1936.