People were enjoying the water at a beach in Florida last week when a drone captured a 7-foot shark approaching an unknowing couple. Robert Russ and his brother followed the shark using the drone as it swims in Dayton Beach on Aug. 4.
Blacktip sharks are known to bite people swimming or wading sometimes, but they do not pose a serious threat to humans. Since 1959, there were at least 11 unprovoked blacktip shark attacks recorded.
7-Foot Shark Approaches 2 Swimmers
The drone footage shows the two swimmers unaware of the shark. However, they saw the drone flying near them and even waved at it.
Russ told Fox 35 that the shark swam from the local boardwalk and traveled about a mile and a half north. It was just a few feet away from the swimmers before gliding away.
The shark in the drone footage is a massive 7-foot blacktip shark known to attack humans. But as the video shows, it seems to realize that the two people are not food and decided to move on.
Russ noted that there have been shark attacks in Florida this year and that he grew anxious as the fearsome fish approached the two swimmers. He described it as an unnerving moment to watch, especially after some reports of people being bitten by sharks in multiple cases this year, albeit unintentional.
For example, there was a teen girl who lost her leg after a shark attack in Taylor County while scalloping with her family in July. There was also a 13-year-old boy bitten on his face by a shark in the Florida Keys while lobster-catching earlier this month.
Blacktip Shark Attacks Are Unintentional
Blacktip sharks are not known to attack or harm humans, but there have been few instances when a human has been attacked by one. Although, the majority of these attacks are unintentional.
According to American Oceans, blacktip sharks migrate through shallow water, so they usually approach beaches. But since the water is usually cloudy, they sometimes mistake a hand or foot for a fish and unintentionally cause a scare to people.
The good news is that they almost always let go of the limb after realizing their mistake. Blacktip sharks do not find humans tasty, so they are less likely to attack. The International Shark Attack File has only recorded 28 unprovoked attacks since 2008.
But in rare cases, they could intentionally bite humans when provoked. Unlike people that can yell or use their hands to scare others, sharks use their mouths to scare those who invade their territory.
Still, these intentional or provoked attacks are not meant to harm humans. According to experts it is their way of telling humans to back off and stay away from their territory in shark language.
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