From Vietnam to the Florida Keys, readers share their shark stories | John Torres

They are sleek, toothy, beautiful, dangerous, endangered, hunted, hunter, prehistoric and often misunderstood. Still, most of us hope to never see one swimming by us at the beach.

It's that time of year again where we celebrate and discuss all things shark-related here on the Space Coast ― otherwise known as the second most likely county in Florida to experience the snapping of tooth-filled jaws on our arms or legs. Just as the Discovery Channel dedicates a week to the wonder and mystery of sharks, so too will we. All this week expect to find new shark-related content online and in the printed FLORIDA TODAY.

Shark bites in Florida: See pictures of wounds, scars from survivors

We'll learn what types of sharks frequent our waters, what they eat, how they might help us forecast hurricanes, how to protect yourselves from them and much more, including whether shark attacks can help forecast the winner of November's presidential election.

With that being said, I wanted to kick off our version of Shark Week by sharing the stories you, the readers, sent me. Thank you to everyone who shared their stories. And apologies if yours didn't make it; I enjoyed reading every single one.

Hammerhead a little too close for comfort

On my birthday, November 26, 2018, I was surfing the waves on my stand-up paddle board in Melbourne Beach in chest-deep water.

To the south I saw three dolphins about 30 feet apart, jumping out of the water and heading towards me. When they got close to me they went under and headed out to sea.

I next saw them about 50 yards outside of the waves rolling on the surface. I just figured that they were watching something. Off to the side I saw something surface and head back in towards me. It was white, but not gray like the dolphins. As I lined up a wave to catch, a four-foot tarpon swam by me heading towards shore and right behind it was a 12-foot-hammerhead shark. I could tell the size because my board is nine feet long and as the shark passed, it was several feet longer than the board.

They both went under and after a while something white surfaced. I paddled over to the other surfer who was out with me and told him that the white thing on the surface was not a bird. I told him that it was the head of a Tarpon that was just eaten by a shark. With much excitement he said, I'm heading in and started to catch the next wave. About that time a large swirl was behind me and another one between me and the surfer. It was the shark swimming under us to say goodbye!

The next day the head washed in to prove my story. It Is the attached photo with my feet next to it for a size comparison.

Tom Morton, Melbourne Beach

Encounter with Bonnetheads and Bulls

I recently saw your FLORIDA TODAY article about sharks and I wanted to pass along my shark stories. I've seen both Bonnethead and Bull sharks in the Indian River Lagoon while kayaking/paddle boarding. Nearly every time that I'm on the water in the Long Point Park to Sebastian Inlet area, I see Bonnetheads. Often they will cruise by my watercraft and then swim off.

I've seen bull sharks (mostly babies) near where Crane Creek meets the Indian River Lagoon by the Melbourne Harbor. I haven't been able to get any good pictures or videos of them since they seem very skittish. The biggest shark I've seen in the IRL was what we suspect was a bull shark (definitely not a dolphin). My son and I were standing in waist deep water trying to cool off while kayaking. We turned around to see a large shark-shaped fish swimming towards us, then it turned and swam away.

Ken Warren, West Melbourne

Bitten in the Keys!

On Father’s Day 2015, my family was in the Keys where we have spent many years on our boat. We went to an island area we had visited many times before to explore the island and cool off in the water. The wind was high that day and the water was very churned up and cloudy, unlike other times we had been to this area when it is usually very clear.

Ironically, we were talking about a recent shark attack that had happened and how rare that is. We were standing in waist-deep water when suddenly, my 9-year-old daughter started screaming that she had just been bit. My husband and I both said, “no you probably just got stung by something” and she was still very upset while she swam to the boat.

When she climbed into the boat her thigh was bleeding profusely and I said, “she has been bit!”  At the same time this same shark was bumping into my husband’s and my sons’ legs we believe trying to get away from the area but not being able to see well due to the churned-up sand.

Once we got the wound clean it was obvious the shark had latched on and then immediately let go.  People who looked at the bite felt it had the appearance of a nurse shark, one of the rarest to bother people. Thank goodness it was superficial and healed completely. Needless to say, that has been our most memorable Father’s Day and a great story for her if she ever plays two truths and a lie!

Samantha Guettler, Viera

More: Enormous great white shark pings off Cape Canaveral, in time for Delta IV Heavy launch

Scuba diver's recent experience

I scuba dive. And we divers know sharks don’t like us. I’ve had reef sharks and lemon sharks head straight for me— like from your patio door to your kitchen table length! They’ve turned 180 degrees away from me and skedaddled. I took on a dive out of Jupiter Dive Center recently and saw three blacktip sharks and a lemon shark. They get hammerheads in there, too! That’s really the nearest dive charter that takes out divers because the reef really begins around Stuart/Jupiter, and the current and visibility are conducive to scuba dive from Jupiter southbound.

Please give a sentence or two of positive notes about sharks as related to diving. We experience no problems with them, in part, because they hate the smell of neoprene!

Joyce Osteman, Melbourne

Close call

SHARKS!!

In the more than 50 years of surfing all over the world, I've seen plenty of sharks. But the closest call I ever had was at Ponce Deleon park in South Melbourne Beach about three years ago. I was sitting on my board waiting for a wave when a 6-8-foot bull shark charged toward me. It turned away at the last minute and was less than three feet away! I yelled to my friends to warn them: "SHARK!"

I immediately started paddling in and he swiped by me again as I was going in to shore. That was the closest call I ever had.

Steve Casanova, Indian Harbour Beach

Staying out of the water

I arrived Oct 1965 at Cam Rahn Bay air base in South Vietnam in October 1965. At some point in time we made our way to the beach. It was gorgeous but there were no girls around. At any rate I see a 6x6 army truck drive by us with a machine gun fixed atop scaffolding.

I asked if the truck and gun were for enemy patrol and they told me "No, it's for shark patrol. If you hear the gun, get out of the water!"

It's been 60 years and when Playalinda, New Smyrna, Daytona and other beaches start patrolling with a 6x6 army truck with a machine gun attached, then maybe I'll go back in the water.  HA!

Bill Metzger, Mims             

Contact Torres at [email protected]. You can follow him on X @johnalbertorres or on Facebook at facebook.com/FTjohntorres.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Shark Week begins with Brevard stories of hammerheads, bull sharks