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'Get out of the water!': Terrifying video shows sharks swimming feet away from Florida beachgoers

The terrifying video was shot as swimmers fled out of the knee-deep seas and someone is heard screaming, 'Get out of the water!'

Two sharks were spotted off a Florida beach over the weekend, the most recent in a string of sightings around the east coast. A terrifying video captured the moment beachgoers were forced to make a hasty exit from the water. The terrifying incident, which happened Saturday, July 30, on picturesque Neptune Beach near Jacksonville, was captured on video by local residents. The video depicts two sharks swimming feet away from a number of swimmers who appear clueless about their presence. The terrifying video was shot as swimmers fled out of the knee-deep seas and someone is heard screaming, "Get out of the water!"

After the hasty evacuation, which left no swimmer wounded but raised tensions along the north Florida coast, the footage shows the sharks swimming in the shallows. It was the most recent in a string of shark sightings that have been reported along the whole East Coast as a result of unusually warm weather that has caused the predatory creatures to travel further north than usual. The waters around New York, which are typically shark-free, as well as other northern places like Massachusetts and Maine, have been overwhelmed by shark presence.

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The unusual attacks have forced closures at a number of well-known beaches, including those on Cape Cod and Long Island. One beach in Maine was closed when a resident purportedly observed a Great White. Attacks have been prevalent in the Sunshine State; some have left beachgoers severely bitten and barely alive. Another shark was observed on Saturday, July 30, close by in Jacksonville, just miles from Neptune Beach, and one local was apparently bitten by the animal.

Earlier, a directive from New York Governor Kathy Hochul asked state agencies to strengthen shark surveillance. The governor said that further safety precautions will be taken, including the use of patrol boats, drones, and helicopters along the South Shore of the Sound as well as more public education of locals regarding the dangers of the aquatic environment. Since July 3, the New York area has seen four shark bites at three different beaches on Long Island, as well as another six shark sightings, according to PIX11. 

Meanwhile, according to the Daily Mail, shark bite incidents have been so common along the more than 1,000 miles along the Atlantic coast, that it has led to a number of closures. According to the International Shark Attack File at the Florida Museum of Natural History, there had only been 12 unprovoked bites in New York prior to 2022, including four during the previous ten years. However, the odds of getting fatally attacked by a shark remain less than 1 in 4 million, according to the International Shark Attack File. Eric Hovland, the Florida Aquarium’s ‘Shark Guy’, recommends not swimming during daylight hours. He advises people to swim with other people and avoid being alone in the water at dusk or dawn because that’s when sharks are looking for food.