Hammerhead shark chases fish, sends swimmers scrambling near Key Largo
An eight-foot hammerhead turned toward swimmers at a Key Largo sandbar, sending everyone back to the boat before the shark swam into deeper water.
An eight-foot hammerhead shark chasing a large fish forced swimmers to scramble back to a boat near Key Largo on June 24, after the animal made a hard turn toward the group in shallow water. Camera footage captured the chase, and no injury was reported.
Courtney Collins said the water felt normal until the shark turned toward the group, at which point everyone scattered. Chris Chiavarelli said the tarpon and the hammerhead drew close enough that the group decided to get back on the vessel, and the shark then swam into deeper water a short time later.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission guidance puts shark activity in Florida at its peak from April through October, when many sharks move inshore and north in spring and summer, then offshore and south in fall and winter as they follow prey such as baitfish. Sharks are top predators, do not see humans as a food source, and shark bites in Florida are extremely rare and rarely life-threatening. Swimmers should stay in groups, avoid dark or twilight water, and get out immediately if sharks are sighted. The water between sandbars and near steep drop-offs are favorite hangouts for sharks, both of which are conditions common around the Keys. In Monroe County, the Marine Resources Office manages boating and waterway infrastructure, while Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary rules prohibit attracting or feeding fish, including sharks, from any vessel or while diving. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission guidance puts humans 30 times more likely to be struck by lightning than bitten by a shark.
Florida Atlantic University researchers found hammerheads chasing blacktip sharks into waist-deep water in southeast Florida on Feb. 28, 2018, Feb. 28, 2019 and March 3, 2019. Hammerheads targeted Keys tarpon in spring and summer. The Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File includes more than 6,800 documented investigations dating back to the early 1500s.
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