BOCA GRANDE, Fla. (WFLA) – A video has gone viral of a hammerhead shark getting too close to shore on Florida’s Gulf Coast.
Wendy Donnelly of North Port was in Boca Grande at Boca Pass in the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday when the shark got a little too close to her and her friend Marica while they were wading in the water.
The shark was in ankle-deep water as onlookers yelled and screamed. Donnelly said it was a sight to behold.
“On the beach relaxing when everyone started running so I grabbed my phone to take a video then ran down the beach to tell everyone to get out of the water, it was moving very fast,” Donnelly told News Channel 8.
Hammerhead shark season runs from March until July feeding on fish like tarpon and stingrays.
Retired Mote Marine Laboratory shark scientist Dr. Robert Hueter tells News Channel 8 if you see a shark to:
- Exit the water if you see schools of tarpon.
- Do not swim at night when sharks can’t distinguish you from food. Sharks are often more common at night, as well.
- Do no swim in the middle of where someone is fishing.
- Do not wear shiny jewelry in the water. Anything shiny reflects the sun and can simulate scales of a fish.
- Brightly colored bathing suits are also a “no.” Sharks can see them at a distance.
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