VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A lot of people online are talking about a new video that shows a shark just feet away from the sand in Virginia Beach.
T’keyah Morton posted the video online after she spotted the shark early in the morning at the Oceanfront.
The sighting has visitors like Renee Baisden on the lookout.
“I would scream and I would be running,” said Baisden.
But, if you ask Virginia Beach local Nickie Wheeler, she’s not worried.
“I wouldn't want it close to me or anything like that, but I wouldn't be afraid of it,” said Wheeler. “We live on the beach, there are animals in the water so you expect to see things.”
While you may panic, experts say don’t.
Julie Levins, Senior Curator at the Virginia Aquarium confirmed a shark is, indeed, spotted in the video. Levins said it’s nothing to be afraid of.
“It's definitely a good sign to be seeing sharks in our oceans. It means we're providing a healthy ecosystem for them. This is where their food is, so they're coming closer to shore to snatch some fish,” said Levins.
The video itself reveals a lot about why the shark is wandering so close to shore. It was filmed early in the morning.
Tom Gill, Chief of the Virginia Beach Lifesaving Service said that’s sharks eat at dawn or dusk.
“What stood out was: early in the morning, so you could see the sun glaring right off the ocean. It looked like early morning and nobody’s around. Exactly the time you shouldn’t be in the water,” said Gill.
Other things you should avoid are wearing shiny jewelry and swimming far away from lifeguards.
Gill said you should always try to swim with a group of people.
“It's the ocean. They have a home, we have a home, and we wanna just cohabitate nicely in that environment if we follow the basic safety rules you'll be just fine,” said Gill.
Gill said lifeguards are always standing by ready to help. If they spot a shark that may pose a threat to people, they’ll clear the water and make sure swimmers don’t return to it until it’s safe.
“We’ve maybe done that once or twice in 30 years. It’s not something we have to deal with very often,” said Gill.
Despite the video making its rounds online, hundreds of people were dipping their feet into the water at the Oceanfront Wednesday afternoon.