'Unnerving' Drone Footage Shows How Sharks Creep Up on Unsuspecting Swimmers at the Beach
It was like a scene out of Jaws.
Shocking drone footage captured in Florida shows swimmers merely feet away from what appears to be a shark as it creeps up behind them in the water.
Robert Russ told FOX affiliate WOFL he and his brother filmed the stunning footage Thursday at Daytona Beach.
In one shot, a pair of men are standing chest-deep in the ocean while the shark sneaks up on them before swimming away. The shark can be seen moving away from a different group of swimmers in another clip. And a third shot shows a group of swimmers using floatation devices while riding the waves as the shark swims behind them.
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In his email to WOFL, Russ said the shark might have been of the Blacktip species and appeared to be about 6 to 7 feet in length.
"It swam towards multiple people before realizing they were not food and moving on," he explained.
The shark swam north for about a mile and a half, beginning at a local boardwalk, Russ added.
"It was unnerving at moments to watch this since there are quite a few people bitten here," he told WOFL, "but [it] confirms they are generally unintentional bites."
A screen grab of the shark video
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In 2021 the United States led all countries with 47 confirmed cases of unprovoked shark bites, or 64% of the global total, according to the University of Florida. The number of U.S. shark bites is up 42% from 2020, which saw 33 incidents occur.
Florida leads the U.S. in shark bites, with 28 of the 47 confirmed cases (60%) from 2021, the university reported.
Blacktip sharks account for about 15% of the unprovoked attacks in Florida since 1926, according to the International Shark Attack File.
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Volusia County, where Daytona Beach is located, is known as the shark bite capital of the world. Ninety-four unprovoked shark bites were recorded in the county between 2012 and 2021, per ISAF data.
In total, 337 unprovoked shark bites have been recorded in Volusia County since 1882.
