This past weekend I and the family went to Navarre Beach, Florida swimming
and recreating. The fishing pier on the far right side of the beach has been
closed due to damage by Hurricanes. While swimming, my brother in law
pointed out a small (6 foot) shark about 100 yards out. There were some
swimmers out there (a family of about 8 throwing a football around) who also
spotted it swimming right towards them. They took off as fast as they could,
every man for himself and all made it safely to shore. Two years ago, in
either Pensacola or Panama City, at the moment I cant recall which, an 11
year old boy had his arm bitten off by a shark in 3 feet of water and nearly
died. Later the uncle who was with them said he had been surf fishing and
the shark had followed his bait in, the same shark that bit the kid. Rather
than alerting everyone he continued to lure the shark in, he was fishing
among a large group of swimmers. This weekend, with the fishing pier closed,
and swimmers out in full force for the Independence Day weekend, the
fisherman were out as well. They were mostly late teens to early twenty's
and apprently had no regard for the swimmers as they walked right into the
groups of swimmers and started casting with large chunks (fist size) of
bait. As I am sure everyone is aware, in an 80 mile stretch in that area
there have been 4 shark attacks in the last week, including the deaths of
two 14 year old girls. Last years hurricanes washed away most of the
sandbars and larger sharks are easily able to get in with the swimmers. I
think, it does not help to have fisherman out there casting bait into
swimming areas just outside shark infested waters. At two beaches we went to
(Navarre and Pensacola), we spotted sharks with bino's at about 100 yards at
both as well as a lot of activity with baitfish jumping out of the water as
though they were being chased. People regularly swim out to that distantce.
As an avid freshwater and sal****er fisherman I personally would not fish in
the Gulf or Atlantic near swimmers and I think there should be a law passed,
which would probably have to be state by state that limits the distance
fisherman can fish to swimmers. Anyone here had that problem or fished
within groups of swimmers? What do you think?