REMUS SharkCam deployed off Chatham, Mass., in 2012

A herd of seals (center) hauled out on a sandbar near Chatham. Greg Skomal, a marine biologiest with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries suspects the return of great white sharks to Chatham is linked to a recent explosion in seal numbers. (Big Wave Productions)

With more sharks hunting close to shore, particularly near tourist beaches on Cape Cod, officials are concerned that more humans could come in contact with them. (Big Wave Productions)

SharkCam is a REMUS 100 autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) equipped with four cameras providing a 360-degree field of view and a homing system that makes the vehicle capable of tracking a shark tagged with a special transponder. (Big Wave Productions)

The REMUS AUV detects signals from the transponder tag and calculates a bearing and distance to the tag. Control systems then keep the vehicle a safe distance behind the animal. (Big Wave Productions)

Billy Chaparales has years of experience harpooning fast-moving fish like tuna. Now he's turned to tagging sharks, helping Greg Skomal on his pioneering great white project. (Big Wave Productions)

A shark will remain tagged for up to NUMBER hours before a "burn wire" in the tag's tether disintegrates and releases the transponder, which floats to the surface to be retrieved. (Greg Skomal, Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries)

Despite limited visibility in the waters of Cape Cod, SharkCam managed to capture spectacular, never-before-seen footage of white sharks swimming near the shore. (Oceanographic Systems Lab, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

One of the surprises that SharkCam revealed to REMUS engineers working on the project was how much time white sharks remained below the surface, hiding their characteristic dorsal fin. (Oceanographic Systems Lab, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

The next step in the SharkCam project will be to take the vehicle into the crystal-clear waters of the Pacific Ocean near Guadalupe to track more sharks and to tag and track other animals, such as whales and rays. (Big Wave Productions)