A giant hammerhead shark “chased” swimmers lounging in shallow water off Destin, Florida . The swimmers appeared oblivious to the massive shark.
As the hammerhead shark closed within just a few feet from the swimmers, a man standing on his hotel balcony, yelled, “Get out the water!” A group of friends with the man kept shouting to no avail for quite a while. Finally, the Destin, Florida, swimmers understood that a shark was hunting for its dinner and they were the closest thing in sight.
During the viral video of the Destin, Florida, hammerhead shark incident, a man can be heard yelling, “Yeah, now run,” after the swimmers realized the nearness of the shark. The video also captured the grace of the hammerhead as it swam to catch, and eat, a small stingray and some fish.
https://youtu.be/jVL1_XWle6E
“I think they finally figured it out,” a voice of another Silver Beach Towers patron is heard as saying. “That is a massive shark, and it came all the way up to knee level.”
Although the discovery of a gigantic hammerhead shark swimming so near your body had to be quite a shock, the swimmers were not likely in serious danger, according to fish and wildlife experts. Statistics provided by the Florida Museum of Natural History’s International “Shark Attack File” list just 17 unprovoked attacks on humans by hammerheads — none of the shark attacks were fatal. Despite the odds being in their favor, the swimmers showed no inclination to possibly become victims number 18 and 19.
Oblivious swimmers fail to notice giant SHARK hunting feet away http://t.co/gg0bp6DEeZ pic.twitter.com/2pLArniSsX
— Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) April 3, 2015
Destin is a popular resort town in Okaloosa County. It is located on the peninsula that separates the Gulf of Mexico from Choctawhatchee Bay. There are reportedly only three of the 11 known species of hammerhead sharks which are believed to pose a threat to humans. The potentially harmful shark varieties include the smooth hammerhead shark, the great hammerhead shark, and the scalloped hammerhead shark.
The vast majority of deadly shark attacks reportedly involve the great white shark, the bull shark, or the tiger shark. A Destin, Florida, tourism website had this to say about shark attacks in the area.
“Shark attacks are extremely rare and, when they do occur, it is usually because the shark mistakes a person for something else.”
What do you think about the hammerhead shark incident at the beach in Destin, Florida?
[Image via: Shutterstock.com ]
