Beachgoers at Navarre Beach, Florida, were screaming and scrambling to get out of the water as a shark swam near the shoreline.
A video shows the shark weaving its way around the people standing in the water.
Cristy Cox told the Pensacola News Journal that it caused quite the excitement.
“It all happened so fast! A dolphin was actually side by side with the shark at first and then just disappeared,” Cox said. ”The shark was just trying to feed as they expected and just passed by the swimmers. Everyone was stunned as it moved down the beach chasing the school of fish. We all just have to remember this is natural and we are in their home, so stay alert!”
Beach Safety Director Austin Turnbill said sharks typically do not act aggressively and are not just hunting for fish.
“There’s sharks in the Gulf, everywhere,” Turnbull told the Pensacola News. “We see sharks almost every day and there’s nothing to be alarmed of for 99.9% of the time.”
But in the last three weeks, Fire Island in New York saw six shark attacks, the Daily Mail reported. One of the attacks included a 15-year-old boy while out surfing on Monday. The shark bit his “left heel and toes,” however, the boy did not lose any limbs.
Two lifeguards were attacked three days apart while doing rescue training. Experts say sharks will confuse people splashing in the water for prey.
Bradley Peterson, associate professor at the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at Stony Brook University said the increased contact shows the shark population is growing, “the result of some really excellent resource management strategies,” according to FOX Weather.
“they’re there to feed on the bunker; if they bite you, it’s by accident because they were going after fish,” Peterson said.
Related: Fishermen Stunned by Chaotic Feeding Scene Off LA Coast
Dillon May via Storyful
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