Categories: Shark

Sharks Sighted At Cocoa Beach Pier Second Day In A Row

Double red flags flew over a lifeguard tower at the Cocoa Beach Pier after sharks were spotted on June 15, 2016.

COCOA BEACH, Florida – For the second day in a row, swimmers were temporarily ordered out of the Atlantic Ocean by Brevard County Ocean Rescue lifeguards along a stretch of beach in Cocoa Beach, Florida after sharks were sighted swimming in the water.

On Tuesday, June 14, 2016, two sharks were spotted about 100 yards south of the Cocoa Beach Pier around 3 p.m. Around 4 p.m. on the following day, Wednesday, June 15, 2016, sharks were spotted near the same location once again.

Like yesterday, beachgoers were allowed back into the water about 30 minutes after the shark sighting.

According to the International Shark Attack File (ISAF) 2015 Worldwide Shark Attack Summary, Florida ranks #1 in the number of unprovoked shark bites. Brevard County, which includes Cocoa Beach, ranks number 1 in the most amount of unprovoked shark bites in the Sunshine State.

Bonnethead, Hammerhead, and Blacktip sharks around 2-5 feet long have either been spotted or caught near-shore off of Cocoa Beach this week.

2016 could surpass 2015 for a record-breaking number of shark attacks in the U.S., according to shark expert George Burgess, director of ISAF.

A record number of sharks were found during NOAA’s coastal shark research survey along the U.S. East Coast in 2015. More than 2,800 sharks were captured and tagged – the most in the survey’s 29-year history.