A TikTok video that has since gone viral shows a shark that appears to have caught its meal near the shoreline of Clearwater Beach in Florida.
Posted by TikTok user @isabel_reyna17 on July 31, the video has amassed more than 19 million views as it showed the shark thrash around the water. View the video here.
"Shark near the shore at Clearwater beach florida," read the text over the video.
A woman filmed what she said was a shark just off the shoreline of a Florida beach and shared the video on TikTok. Above, a stock image of a shark fin breaking out of the...A woman filmed what she said was a shark just off the shoreline of a Florida beach and shared the video on TikTok. Above, a stock image of a shark fin breaking out of the water.jamenpercy/iStock
Sharks in Florida
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), there are several different shark species that live near the state, including bull sharks, great hammerhead sharks and tiger sharks.
The agency said that it is "extremely unlikely" for someone to be bitten by a shark in Florida, but there are some tips it provided for people to keep themselves safe.
The FWC recommended that people go into the water in groups rather than alone, to avoid going out into the water too far and to avoid getting in the water when it is dark out, as that is when sharks are most active.
"Refrain from excess splashing, as this may draw a shark's attention," the agency said.
It also said that people should keep their pets out of the water as their "erratic movements" may also call attention from a shark.
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In her first video, @isabel_reyna17 showed the shark's large fin from a distance as it splashed and thrashed around in the water, but it wasn't until the follow-up video that the huge fish it was eating for lunch was seen.
There were bystanders about knee-deep in the water as they also watched what unfolded.
'I'd Be Running For My Life'
Viewers were stunned by how close the shark was to beachgoers, and some wondered why the people seen in the clip were not moving out of the water faster.
"They're walking all casually like there isn't a whole shark out there," a viewer commented.
"Why are [they] standing there like nothing is happening," another viewer wrote. "I be running for my life."
"I love sharks so much but girl you probably should get OUT of the water," one TikTok user wrote.
Other viewers, however, seemed unphased by the video.
"I don't get why people are so shocked to see sharks in the water," a viewer wrote.
"Shark infested waters? You mean their home," another viewer said.
"That's normal, go in a parasail over that water and you'll see them all over," one viewer wrote.
@isabel_reyna17 posted a second video showing a fellow beachgoer dragging a large half-eaten fish out of the water and along the shoreline, presumably the snack the shark had been eating.
Newsweek reached out to @isabel_reyna17 for further comment.
Shark sightings have been common in the news this summer.
A great white shark dubbed Breton, who measures more than 13 feet, was recently "pinged" off the coast of Florida, which means its dorsal fin broke through the surface of the water.
The same great white shark swam in a pattern that closely resembled the shape of a shark.
A video captured the moment that a large shark breached out of the water close to a boat off the British coast.
