BOCA GRANDE, FL (WFLA) – Shark week is dominating TV screens all over the country. But if you want to see sharks yourself, one of the best places to find them is nearby. Boca Grande, about two hours south of Tampa was ranked by USA Today as one of the top 10 spots in the world to see sharks from shore.
Dr. Robert Hueter with Mote Marine Lab said, “That pass is so full of shark food in the spring and summer and that shark food is tarpon.” Dr. Hueter often visits Boca Grande for research. News Channel 8 joined him on an expedition two years ago, where the scientists caught numerous sharks. They were fairly easy to find.Dr. Hueter said, “Hammerhead sharks and bull sharks like to feed on sting rays and various kinds of rays and sometimes they are right up to the surf line so the predators are basically following the prey. They’re not looking for us.”
And that’s good news to Len burgess. He comes to Boca Grande from Wales every year to go fishing. “I wouldn’t mind catching [a shark,]” he said. He thinks this attention is good for the area.
Burgess said, “Probably draws people here who are interested in that sort of thing but I think it would stop people from coming here to swim.” The world’s largest hammerhead shark ever caught on a rod was captured in Boca Grande- measuring 14 feet.
Dr. Hueter says during the summer you may find black tip sharks, bull sharks and hammerheads there. And during the winter you’ll spot sandbar sharks. Dr. Hueter explained, “Our incidents on shark bites on people is very low on this coastline. Sharks are looking for things other than people, and they generally stay off the coast.”
Despite the latest shark bite headlines in the Carolinas, scientists say you don’t have to worry at Boca Grande. Just sit back and enjoy the view. It never hurts to practice caution, though. To avoid being bitten don’t swim out at night, at dawn or at dusk. Beaches in Boca Raton and Melbourne also were also on the list.MORE FROM WFLA.COM
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