Hurricane Lee's dangerous surf puts Florida beaches on shark alert, expert warns
Shark researcher warns beachgoers to expect sharks in the water for the next few days. Hurricane Lee drove the bait fish in to shore and the sharks followed.
Shark bites Florida surfer's face
Mark Summerset, surfing in the waves churned up by Hurricane Lee, was bitten in the face by a shark. FOX 35 reporter Chris Lindsay talked to him when the Florida man got out of the hospital as well as to AJ Miller, the Beach Safety Captain.
Hurricane Lee is expected to bring dangerous surf to Florida's coastline – and with that, comes the threat of sharks.
After two people were bitten by sharks within 24 hours at two Florida beaches this week, Gavin Naylor, director of the University of Florida's shark research program, told FOX 35 News Orlando that people should stay vigilant about sharks at the beach in the coming days.
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FILE - A bull shark comes close to inspect tourist and their cameras during an ecotourism shark dive off of Jupiter, Florida on May 5, 2022.
(Joseph Prezioso/Anadolu Agency / Getty Images)
Hurricane Lee, currently located about 200 miles west of Bermuda, could affect the current, which would, in turn, push fish closer to shore. That means sharks won't be too far behind, Naylor said.
Bill Eveland was surfing Monday afternoon in Satellite Beach when he noticed pods of mullet swimming nearby. Even though his friends went back to shore, the surfer stayed out for one more set – and he was caught in the middle of a feeding frenzy and was bitten in the back.
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Watch: Sharks in a feeding frenzy off of Louisiana
FILE: A man and his girlfriend came upon a shark feeding frenzy 15 miles off the Louisiana coast. Listen to the sharks bang the side of the boat as they surround the fishing vessel. The chaos when on for minutes.
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Eveland shared some advice for surfers and beachgoers who plan to hit the ocean this week and weekend.
"When those mullet pods are coming down the beach, your best bet is to get out and wait for them to pass, and then you can get back out and catch some more waves," he said.
Hurricane Lee could bring surf up to 7 to 8 feet at its peak along the Florida coast.