Cape Breton Shark Survivor Shares Story to Help Others

Taylor Fortune was just 21 when a great white shark bit her during a swim off Margaree Harbour in August 2021, an encounter so rare the last similar incident in Cape Breton happened in 1953. Now she's ready to share her story, not as a tale of terror, but as a bridge toward understanding.

Fortune's first television interview will anchor "Great White Highway," a documentary premiering August 1 on Discovery as part of Shark Week. The Chéticamp native was swimming with friends about a kilometer from Margaree Island when the attack occurred, leaving her with serious injuries that required airlift to Halifax for treatment.

But this isn't a story about fear. The documentary explores how humans and great white sharks can safely share Atlantic Canadian waters as their worlds increasingly overlap.

An international research team is using cutting-edge technology to track great white movements along Nova Scotia's coastline, dubbed the "Great White Highway." Acoustic receiver buoys, drones, sonar, and underwater cameras are collecting data that could one day protect both beachgoers and the sharks themselves.

"We're seeing white sharks using Nova Scotia's coastline more than ever before," says Dr. Nigel Hussey from the Tancook Islands Marine Field Station. The more scientists understand about when sharks arrive, where they travel, and when they leave, the better communities can prepare.

Why This Inspires

Fortune's willingness to revisit her traumatic experience shows remarkable courage. By sharing her story publicly for the first time, she's helping shift the conversation from panic to coexistence, from fear to understanding.

The documentary doesn't suggest sharks are becoming more aggressive. Instead, it asks smarter questions about whether growing shark populations mean more chance encounters, and how science can help everyone navigate those possibilities safely.

"We have to raise public awareness and do the science in order to answer the questions everyone is asking," explains Dr. Greg Skomal from the Atlantic Shark Institute. The research aims to lay groundwork for future public safety initiatives at popular beaches and dive sites.

Fortune's story proves that even our most frightening moments can become opportunities to protect both people and the incredible animals we share the planet with.