Helicopter captures the moment a blacktip shark swims just yards from beach goers in Florida
- The five-foot long shark, thought to be a blacktip common to the area, appeared to be minding its own business but still sent swimmers running to the shore
- Expert Gavin Naylor explained that the sharks tend to swim in shallower waters to hunt for bait fish, such as herring, sardines, menhaden, mullet, and anchovies
- Officials say it’s common to see black tip sharks off the coast of Central Florida
- While not the largest of sharks, they do make up 20 percent of all unprovoked shark attacks in America, which is still a relatively small number
Beach goers were given the fright of their lives on Monday after spotting a shark swimming just yards away from them on Daytona Beach in Florida.
The five-foot long shark, thought to be a blacktip common to the area, appeared to be minding its own business but still sent some swimmers running to the shore.
Fran Kumpf told CNN she saw a shark that appeared to be about 5 feet long on Monday at Daytona Beach.
‘The tail was just up and down, so we kind of followed it for a while and then it just disappeared,’ she said.
‘If people knew how close they were to sharks on a routine basis, they’d have a different perspective,’ said marine expert Gavin Naylor.
Naylor explained that the sharks tend to swim in shallower waters to hunt for bait fish, such as herring, sardines, menhaden, mullet, and anchovies.
‘These particular ones, they would never seek out people, but they might accidentally bite a person if they thought it was a bait fish,’ Naylor said.
While not the largest of sharks, they do make up 20 percent of all unprovoked shark attacks in America, which is still a relatively small number.
One short clip captures a couple realizing the shark is nearby and them both turning and bolting away.
Another shows some beach goers concentrating on the shark as they move backwards.
While not the largest of sharks, they do make up 20 percent of all unprovoked shark attacks in America, which is still a relatively small number

One short clip captures a couple realizing the shark is nearby and them both turning and bolting away
Officials say it’s common to see 4-5 foot black tip sharks off the coast of Central Florida.
Because the ocean is rolling, it acts as camouflage for marine life like sharks, but conditions right now are a little different.
‘They’re always there, but we have had clearer water, and it has been flat surf. So you can see into the water a little bit better,’ said beach safety captain Tammy Malphurs.
‘It’s nothing that, as biologists, we find alarming,’ added Naylor, director of the University of Florida Shark Research Program.
Adding: ‘And they will not target people deliberately. They’ll occasionally bite people, but it’s usually an accident because they are chasing schools of fish,’ Naylor said.