Watch as dozens of sharks engage in feeding frenzy off North Carolina’s Surf City pier
Waters off Surf City, North Carolina, literally erupted Monday night as dozens of sharks got tangled up in multiple feeding frenzies.
Video of the turmoil was shared on Facebook by Surf City Ocean Pier, which added: “Sooo, this was/is happening on the end of the pier!”
The video, recorded in the dark, shows the ocean off the barrier island was frothing as the sharks swirled, flopped on the surface and bounced off each other.
“Earlier, you could feel them hitting the pier,” someone is heard saying in the video. “This frenzy isn’t as big as the first one.”
Shark feeding frenzies are “almost a yearly thing” off the 937-foot-long pier, officials told McClatchy News.
The sharks were likely feeding on mullet and menhaden, two species that migrate south to warmer waters this time of year, according to Hap Fatzinger, director of the N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher. He says a commercial fisherman identified the sharks as spinner, which grow to 9 feet, and blacknose, which can reach about 6.5 feet.
Seeing such a large feeding event that close to shore is a rare opportunity, he told McClatchy News.
“You’ve got the pier structure that is attractive to schooling fish and the light, so it’s not a surprise to see this happening there,” Fatzinger said.
“What this video shows is the ocean is wild. It’s a natural wild location, no different than jumping off the highway in the Klondike and running into the bush. It’s a place of wild animals and to see something like this taking place is amazing.”
The video also illustrates why experts have long warned people not to swim in the evening, near fishing piers, he says.
Sharks involved in such events are not out to bite humans in the water, but it’s dark and crowded, so mistakes can happen, he says.
“You wouldn’t want to swim in this situation, but it shouldn’t keep people from wanting to go in the ocean,” Fatzinger said.
Surf City Ocean Pier did not say who recorded the frenzy, which has been viewed more than 160,000 times and racked up 2,500 reactions and comments as of Oct. 20.
“Crazy. .... I have never seen that many sharks in the water at the same time,” Crystal Richeson wrote.
“That’s just kind of fascinating and creepy scary all at the same time,” Terri Sims Martin wrote.
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