How stupid is this - tourists threw beer cans at the shark - guess they don't know who the gulf really belongs to.
Miramar Beach reopened after shark sightings
HEATHER CIVIL
Monday July 2nd, 2007
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MIRAMAR BEACH ? The sight of blood in the water near two large bull sharks sent swimmers scurrying from the Gulf of Mexico on Monday morning.
The 8-foot-long sharks were aggressively feeding on a large red fish near the shore behind Majestic Sun condominiums, said Gary Wise, beach safety director for the South Walton Fire District.
?They basically tore it right in half,? Wise said.
The sharks were first spotted at around 10:30 a.m.
Lifeguards cleared people out of the water while the sharks ate. They reopened the water to swimming about half an hour later.
During that period of time, a smaller blacktip shark was seen cruising along the shore between Majestic Sun and Surfside condominiums.
Some beachgoers threw empty beer cans at the four-and-a-half-foot shark as it swam by, Wise said.
?It was a mob scene,? he said.
No one was injured, and the sharks eventually left the area.
The incident comes on the heels of a similar situation that happened about a week-and-a-half ago.
On June 21, several large bull sharks were seen near the shore along Walton County Road 30A.
The sharks cruised a 3.5-mile stretch of beach from Gulfview Heights to Dune Allen Beach.
Officials closed the water to swimming for about two hours that day as the sharks swam 15 feet or so from shore.
Bull sharks are considered one of the more aggressive species of shark, and swimmers should be wary of them.
However, sharks live in the gulf and there is no reason to think anything strange is going on because of the two recent sightings of bull sharks, Wise said.
?It?s sharks doing what they normally do,? he said.
I would go for the eyes instead.