Thousands of sharks spotted off So. Fla. coast

BOCA RATON, Fla. (WSVN) -- Tens of thousands of predators have been spotted off South Florida shores.

We've come to use the term 'snow birds' for anyone who spends the winter here and then heads north in spring time, the latest group of snow birds are Black Tip Sharks.

Some people mistake the sharks for 'Spinners' because of the way they jump from the water. "They're just kind of hanging out down here throughout February," said FAU Marine Biologist, Shari Tellman. "That's why we're seeing a lot of them. They're following the bait fish, and then they head north."

Wednesday, the group of sharks were spotted off Palm Beach County. Tellman says she took a separate trip from Pompano to Jupiter and said she saw thousands, some of them right off shore. "They'll come right up to the water line," said Tellman. "As long as there's enough water to swim in, they'll be swimming there if there are bait fish there."

"I'm not a swimmer," said Donna Gogreve, "So if there are sharks anywhere around that can out swim me I'm not going in."

The shark sighting caused some beaches to close in Palm Beach County as a precaution, but experts said you should really only worry if you're a fish. "They're definitely not after people," said Gogreve. "We're entering their habitat so it's a case of mistaken identity when it does happen."

Tellman told 7News, days when the water is very still is the safest time to be in the water because sharks can see clearly. She said when the water is murky is when you can be mistaken for bait fish.

Experts said most of the sharks migrating north will be out of South Florida waters by April.

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