'Get Out of the Water'

 

 

PALM BEACH, Fla. - Red flags may be a more common sighting at area beaches, as lifeguards protect swimmers from sharks.

Marine biologists have spotted tens of thousands of sharks from Boca Raton to Jupiter since the start of the month. They say the marine animals are moving north, after migrating south for the winter. The sharks are migrating a month later than usual and unfortunately the annual move has coincided with March break and the arrival of thousands of students and families to bask in the sunshine on the beaches.

Pilot Steve Irwin was astonished after spotting a mass of more than 100,000 sharks swimming just 100 yards off Florida's sandy beaches. The long-time fisherman and marine technology expert was cruising 300ft above the clear waters in his helicopter on Sunday when he came across the astonishing scene.

The 50-year-old - who shares his name with the late Australian 'Crocodile Hunter' - whipped out his smartphone to capture the masses of deadly predators, which spanned a 20-mile stretch of water.

The sharks - believed to be Spinners, between 3ft and 7ft long - were heading north and swimming parallel to the east coast's idyllic white beaches between Fort Lauderdale and exclusive Jupiter Island.

 

Spinner sharks are so named for the rotating leaps they make while on the trail of prey. Small groups of strays were even spotted milling around swimmers who appeared to be blissfully unaware of the danger, although no injuries were reported.

 

Experts say when sharks migrate and head for warmer waters they typically swim close to the shore while chasing after bait-fish. But Mr Irwin, who runs Island Marine Services in Fort Pierce, was baffled as to the staggering number of sharks gathered in the shallow waters.
'It was an truly amazing sight,' he said. 'What amazed me was the sheer numbers of them'.
'There were tens of thousands of them - I'd say maybe 100,000. I kept on flying for about 20 miles and they just kept on coming. It's common to see large predatory sharks come in and feed on schools of bait-fish - the odd thing was I didn't see any bait-fish at all!'

Although they're an interesting sight to see, sharks are dangerous to swimmers.  
To protect yourself from getting bitten by a shark, swim along beaches where lifeguards are present. Also, leave your jewelry on the shore. Scientists say sharks are attracted to silver and gold, along with the color yellow.