Video shows shark at Navarre Beach get too close for comfort with swimmers
A video of a shark casually swimming among beachgoers on Navarre Beach spread across Facebook like wildfire Monday afternoon.
The scene, oddly enough, didn’t look anything quite like one would expect after watching years of movies dramatizing similar encounters.
While people can be seen making their way out of the water, there is an eerie lack of urgency among them. And many others even stopped and turned around to watch the shark continue swimming away.
Others can be heard calling for people to clear the water, but not in the sort of panic most would expect.
The video was posted on the All Things Navarre Beach & Pensacola Beach Facebook group Monday afternoon and had already been shared nearly 400 times less than an hour afterward.
Many users made remarks about how frequently sharks can be found around Navarre Pier and urged others not to swim too close. Some talked about the importance of not running quickly away from sharks and always keeping your eyes on them. Others made more light-hearted comments like “I might stand on the porch to watch a tornado but I’m not staying in the ocean to watch a shark.”
Cristy Cox, who shared the video, said the shark was simply chasing fish but urged beachgoers to pay attention to their surroundings.
“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 are expected and just passed by 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!”
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Beach Safety Director Austin Turnbill confirmed that a shark had been seen at Navarre Beach and said there’s usually no reason for alarm when they’re spotted.
“There’s sharks in the Gulf, everywhere. We see sharks almost every day and there’s nothing to be alarmed of for 99.9% of the time,” Turnbill said.
When sharks do act aggressively, typically while they are chasing big game fish, Turnbill says they will calmly clear the water and give the sharks room to go about their business.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Shark in Navarre Beach, Florida, gets too close for comfort in video
