Sharks in Hallandale Beach and Hollywood Beach. When is the best time to swim to avoid sharks? (nurse, clinic)

[Rabflmom]

Originally Posted by HotandHumid

More people than anywhere else in the world get bitten each year by sharks in Florida. If you want to avoid being bitten by a shark, stay out of the water and use the beach showers to cool off if they are provided at the beaches you frequent.

In countries like Australia, you can safely swim in the ocean at some beaches with the swimming area surrounded by nets that keep the sharks from entering the swimming area but sadly for the sharks, they sometimes become entangled in the nets and drown.

It's unfortunate that the state of Florida does not post signs on the beaches to warn swimmers that sharks may be present but that's Flori-duh government for you.

You can reduce your risk of being bitten by a shark by swimming in areas where lifeguards are posted who can warn swimmers to get out of the water if they sight a shark in the area but unlike what the movies depict, most sharks do not swim at the surface with their dorsal fins exposed when they attack swimmers so most people don't even see the shark coming at them before they are bitten.

Actually Florida beaches do let you know that sharks are in the area. They fly a red over red flag to show that beach is closed for a while once someone spots a shark or a purple flag to say possible dangerous sea life present.

To the OP....
To avoid sharks.......

1. Swim on bright sunny days but not at dusk or dawn because they tend to feed then. Cloudy days I seem to see more sharks, too.
2. Wear no jewelry including watches. Wear no buckles, zippers, etc. that are exposed on your suit. Might even want to avoid black, brown, and silvery swim suits, too. From underneath may look like the color of fish to a shark and the shiny metal is like a fishing lure and attracts them.
3. Surf boards/boogey are sort of the shape of fish and wet suits help to give the fish look from below. Surfers are out farther in the water so usually it is a surfer that gets bit if anyone does.
4. Watch the water.....if you see lots of pelicans and other shore birds diving for fish avoid the water. If you see lots of smaller fish in the waves or seeming to beach themselves rapidly in large numbers it probably means a larger fish-possibly a shark is feeding.
5. Avoid swimming near piers and jetties where people are fishing.

But really sharks are not the real danger in the water. Rip currents kill more people than sharks every year. Also if you don't know how to swim stay less than knee deep. Do not walk out to where the water is up to your neck! Swimming in the ocean is not like swimming in a pool. Waves in knee deep water may go over your head and knock you down, make you roll, and pull you out farther with the undertow. 1 step more and the bottom can drop off to where you are under the water. Be safe out there.

[justthe2ofus]

In the early mornings and shortly before dusk, if the water is calm, you might see concentric circles on the surface that could indicate a shark is feeding there.

[Pear Martini]

Originally Posted by justthe2ofus

In the early mornings and shortly before dusk, if the water is calm, you might see concentric circles on the surface that could indicate a shark is feeding there.

Concentric circles? Like circles in the water?



So when is it safe to go back in the ocean? I haven't been back since? The waves have been insane and the beach is windy. How deep can one go and not end up near a sha4k?

[ruski]

Originally Posted by Pear Martini

Concentric circles? Like circles in the water?



So when is it safe to go back in the ocean? I haven't been back since? The waves have been insane and the beach is windy. How deep can one go and not end up near a sha4k?

These aren't insane waves at all.

[Rabflmom]

Originally Posted by Pear Martini

Concentric circles? Like circles in the water?



So when is it safe to go back in the ocean? I haven't been back since? The waves have been insane and the beach is windy. How deep can one go and not end up near a sha4k?

How deep? Have seen sharks in the shorebreak and once even in a wave pool left on shore. Swimming in the ocean is never like swimming in a pool or lake. Sand sharks lay on the bottom-even in shallow water. That is one reason you shuffle your feet instead of picking them up to walk in the water.

Most of the time shark do not want anything to do with man; but they do make mistakes.

We tend to give them 15-30 minutes to continue swimming out of the area when we see them. You will usually see the 2 fins when a shark feeds because they tend to feed in a frenzy and their tails splash alot .

[justthe2ofus]

Originally Posted by Pear Martini

Concentric circles? Like circles in the water?
So when is it safe to go back in the ocean? I haven't been back since? The waves have been insane and the beach is windy. How deep can one go and not end up near a sha4k?

Yes, waves of concentric circles appearing on the surface of the water if it's calm.

Like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLG2v8yD0Fk

When is it safe to go in?

Don't swim in the early morning or late afternoon unless: you are swimming with a buddy, in front of a lifeguard station and never, ever get into the ocean without polarized sunglasses so you may see as clear as one can, what is around you. I never ever swim in the ocean, gulf or caribbean without my sunglasses even if it's cloudy.


Always remember that you are swimming in their house. They like to eat in the morning and early evening. Don't wear metal jewelry in the water. No anklets, bracelets, necklaces to reflect light and draw their attention. Visually they see it as the iridescence from marine life. Don't look like fish food.

[kateskouros]

feeding time is dusk till after dawn. stay OUT of the water and NEVER swim at night. personally, i never swim in florida or the carolinas anymore. the waters are too heavily populated with sharks of all kinds. it took me a while to get over the fact i'd never go into the water again, but one encounter in south beach taught me a lifelong lesson. i was swimming in about ten feet of water when i was bumped by a shark. i kicked back at him and then turned to swim back to the beach, but i discovered i was caught in a rip tide. it took a while, but i stayed calm. that was the last time i set foot in ocean water. i swim and dive in the caribbean, in greece and other parts of the world, but i've had enough of the south eastern US.

[BlackTee]

Damn. I spent a week in miami beach. Swimming along the shore but easily go 200-300 yards offshore because it is uneven. Also plenty of sandbars so it might be 2ft deep and then 10ft deep. Wasnt afraid of sharks when it was sunny. But once the stormy/rain days started the water is murky and covered in seaweed. I could easily be shark food and it is clear that they dont care if the water is murky or not. Maybe it is a better idea to live on a lake

[City Guy997S]

Some good some bad info here in this thread.

New Smyrna has the highest bite rate in the country but also consider the water is usually cloudy in that area, sharks are hitting the motion in the water without "seeing" that it is a person.

Sharks are everywhere, always have been. Through technology like drones/internet sites like youtube you are just witnessing the activity that has gone on for hundreds of years.

Certainly I wouldn't jump in the water with bull sharks circling the dock but consider the reason they are congregating around the docks (food: people gutting fish, throwing the scraps in the water).

This is the Bahamas, swimming with nurse sharks (harmless). More people have been killed by errant electricity in the water around the docks than by sharks:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBc5ERk0V-g

[urbancuriosity]

I agree that nurse sharks are generally docile, but one should exercise some caution. I was diving in Belize when a nurse shark bit someone's finger. No major damage. The person got a tetanus shot at the local clinic just to be safe.