Added: 4. February 2011
Pilot Steve Irwin was astonished after spotting a mass of more than 100,000 sharks swimming just 100 yards off Florida’s sandy beaches.
The long-time fisherman and marine technology expert was cruising 300ft above the clear waters in his helicopter on Sunday when he came across the astonishing scene.
The 50-year-old – who shares his name with the late Australian ‘Crocodile Hunter’ – whipped out his smartphone to capture the masses of deadly predators, which spanned a 20-mile stretch of water.
The sharks – believed to be Spinners, between 3ft and 7ft long – were heading north and swimming parallel to the east coast’s idyllic white beaches between Fort Lauderdale and exclusive Jupiter Island.
Small groups of strays were even spotted milling around swimmers who appeared to be blissfully unaware of the danger, although no injuries were reported.
Experts say this is the time of year when sharks migrate and head for warmer waters, typically swimming close to the shore while chasing after bait-fish.
But Mr Irwin, who runs Island Marine Services in Fort Pierce, was baffled as to the staggering number of sharks gathered in the shallow waters.
‘It was an truly amazing sight,’ he said.
‘I’ve been a fisherman for 20 years and I also kayak out there and it’s common to see them twist and turn and shoot through the air.
‘They’re prevalent at this time of year but what amazed me was the sheer numbers of them.
‘There were tens of thousands of them – I’d say maybe 100,000.
‘I kept on flying for about 20 miles and they just kept on coming.
‘It’s common to see large predatory sharks come in and feed on schools of bait-fish – the odd thing was I didn’t see any bait-fish at all!’
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 3:51 PM on 2nd February 2011
Source: Daily Mail
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