Taylor Fortune, formerly known by her surname Boudreau-Deveaux, of Cheticamp was 21 when she suffered what witnesses said was a rare shark attack off the coast of Margaree Harbour on Aug. 13, 2021. Photo by SUPPLIEDArticle contentThe Cape Breton woman who survived a shark bite off the shores of Margaree Harbour nearly five years ago will get to tell her story as part of a new documentary about unexpected interactions between people and great white sharks, particularly in Atlantic Canadian waters.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentArticle contentGreat White Highway, which looks at what has emerged as a fearful trend along Nova Scotia’s coastline, will feature Taylor Fortune granting her first-ever television interview detailing the events of the near-fatal encounter in the summer of 2021.Article contentArticle contentThe documentary is slated to air on Aug. 1 at 9 p.m. (Atlantic time) on Discovery and Discovery+.Article contentAccording to reports, 21-year-old Fortune, then known by her maiden name Boudreau-Deveaux, and a group went out for a swim near a boat roughly a kilometre away from Margaree Island. RCMP received a call around 5 p.m. on Aug. 13, 2021, with word that a woman was believed to have been involved in a shark attack.Article contentThe Chéticamp native was then transported by boat back to land and was found to have sustained serious injuries. She was later airlifted to the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre in Halifax.Article contentBefore the 2021 incident, the last known Cape Breton shark attack occurred in 1953, off the coast of Fourchu.Article content Great White Highway, a new documentary about unexpected interactions between people and great white sharks, particularly in Atlantic Canadian waters, will air Aug. 1, 9 p.m. (Atlantic time), on Discovery and Discovery+. Photo by CHRIS REARDONArticle contentCLOSE CALLSArticle contentThe documentary, airing as part of this year’s Shark Week, will also feature footage of face-to-face great white close calls with a paddle boarder, a scuba diver and a snorkeler, and captures a dead whale feeding frenzy.Article content“While the documentary doesn’t suggest sharks are becoming more aggressive, it explores whether a great white baby boom is increasing the likelihood of human and shark contact,” the documentary’s writer and director, P.J. Naworynski, said in a statement.Article contentArticle contentTo better understand what is happening beneath the surface, an international team of researchers from Canada and the U.S. are using a high-tech approach to collect data on the East Coast migration corridor that’s been dubbed the ‘Great White Highway.’Article contentArticle content“We’re seeing white sharks using Nova Scotia’s coastline more than ever before,” according to Dr. Nigel Hussey from the Tancook Islands Marine Field Station. “The more data we have, the better we can help people safely share the ocean with these incredible animals.”Article contentTRACKING GREAT WHITESArticle contentTo track great whites as they travel along Nova Scotia’s South Shore, the team deploys two real-time acoustic receiver buoys along with drones, sonar, underwater cameras, and acoustic telemetry to search for clues that could improve scientific understanding of shark movements while laying the foundation for future public safety initiatives at popular beaches and dive sites.Article content“We have to raise public awareness and do the science in order to answer the questions everyone is asking,” Dr. Greg Skomal from the Atlantic Shark Institute said in a statement. “When do these sharks arrive? Where do they spend their time? When do they leave?”Article contentFilled with dramatic underwater encounters, groundbreaking field research, and extraordinary eyewitness accounts — and anchored by Fortune’s story of her 2021 encounter, Great White Highway will carry on with the story first introduced in previous Shark Week documentaries Great White North (2024) and Great White North Invasion (2025).Article contentBut for the new documentary, the focus will shift toward how people and sharks visiting Atlantic Canadian waters can safely coexist as their worlds increasingly overlap.Article content
Cape Breton shark bite survivor’s story anchors new documentary, Great White Highway
