Does Cape Cod Have a Sea Serpent?

The idea of a sea serpent making its home in waters around Cape Cod has been around for 200 years, if not longer. Much like the Loch Ness Monster in Scotland, Champ in Lake Champlain, and the Kraken in Scandinavian folklore, monster sightings off the Cape's coasts and in its waterways are fun stories that create some debate.

The most recent documented sighting took place in August 2019 near Nauset Beach. At that time, a professional shark spotter named Wayne Davis saw a massive shape in the water. In fact, it was about 300 yards long and looked just like an enormous snake.

Davis snapped a picture of the shape, opening up further debate. However, experts don't believe it was a sea serpent at all, but rather a large school of Atlantic menhaden that grouped together in a strange formation near the shoreline.

So although the idea of Cape Cod having a sea serpent is intriguing, this photo doesn't prove anything. There are other stories throughout the years, though, that are worth exploring, too.

George Washington Ready

Back in 1886, George Washington Ready, who was the town crier in Provincetown at the time, believed he saw a sea serpent.

Ready was walking near the shoreline in Provincetown when he observed a whirlpool-like disturbance in the water. A giant head with four rows of teeth, an eight-foot horn, and six eyes then emerged from the whirlpool. These eyes ensured the monster could look in every direction at once, and three of them were a fiery red color.

The rest of the monster's body was about 300 feet long with a 12-foot diameter. It was accompanied by a sulphuric smell and an intense heat emanating from its body. The creature was massive, but Ready was able to hide behind some bushes on the beach to escape its gaze.

Ready claimed that the serpent made its way to nearby Pasture Pond before burrowing into the earth beneath the water. Much of the pond's water drained through the hole the creature created, and the monster disappeared, as well.

While this story seems entirely unbelievable for a modern audience, it was actually published in a newspaper in Yarmouth and appeared in publications all over the country. The Provincetown Advocate republished the story in the 1940s, too, bringing attention to it once again. It also wasn't the first time a high-profile sea serpent sighting occurred in this part of the country.

Captain Holdredge

Another published account of a sea serpent encounter appeared in the Zion's Herald on August 2, 1826. This time, Captain Holdredge of a ship called the Silas Richard and his crew saw a sea monster off the coast of Provincetown while sailing George's Banks.

Holdredge stated that the serpent came out of the water about 175 feet from his boat. He believed the part that appeared was about 60 feet long, and there was more to it under the water's surface. It sat above the water for about seven minutes, and every crew member who was above deck saw it.

There was a similar story from an 1880s ship and crew, as well, except this time, the serpent stuck around for multiple sightings, continuing to reappear from beneath the water's surface. It eventually left the frightened crew alone before carrying on with its day.

There's no way to prove or disprove either of these eyewitness accounts, but they add to the legend of the Provincetown Sea Serpent that has been around for centuries.

The Skeleton on the Beach

In 1939, members of the Coast Guard thought they had found evidence of a sea serpent on Wood End near Long Point Beach in Provincetown.

At that time, a giant skeleton had washed up on shore, and no one could identify it. It didn't look like any of the whales or sharks that frequent this area, nor was it a seal or sea lion.

The skeleton was eventually sent off to Harvard's Museum of Natural History, where it was identified as a basking shark. It's incredibly rare for basking sharks to make their way into New England's waters, which is why no one knew what it was.

Is There a Sea Serpent near Cape Cod?

There's no definitive proof of a sea serpent living in the waters around Provincetown, but these stories are a fun way to explore local history and generate discussion.

Even if there is something out there, most witnesses, other than George Washington Ready, believe the serpent is friendly or, at the very least, indifferent toward humans.

At the same time, there's no proof that sea serpents don't exist either, so make sure you have a camera in hand the next time you're wandering the Cape's shorelines because you never know what you'll see.