Watch: Shark Swims Up to Man's Backyard

Check out the video at the bottom of this post.

Living on the water in Florida presents all sorts of opportunities for close encounters with animals. Most homeowners are more than OK with that, and are happy to pay the extra price for waterfront property to enjoy that privilege.

When those close encounters happen to involve a shark swimming dangerously close to a seawall, however, it seems some homeowners draw the line.

At least that’s the case in Bonita Beach where a resident filmed a rather sizeable critter swimming close enough to where his backyard ends and the water starts he might have been able to reach out and touch it. While the type of shark isn’t identified, the critter appears to be fairly sizeable on the video.

NBC-2 posted the video on its YouTube and Facebook pages. The station doesn’t identify just who shot the video, but it says the man is upset with “irresponsible behavior of some” that is “attracting sharks and endangering all.” It didn’t elaborate on what that behavior might entail.

See Also:

• Betsy the Great White Shark Swimming in St. Petersburg Waters
• Huge Florida Shark Swarm Caught on Film
• Katharine the Great White Shark Returns to Florida
• Photo: Big Bobcat Drags Shark Onto Florida Beach
• Great White Attacks Fishing Boat

Shark encounters are fairly common in Florida’s waters with a wide variety of the critters found between the Atlantic and Gulf.

A celebrity shark, Betsy the great white, made headlines earlier this month when she was tracked to waters just off St. Petersburg’s coastline. Betsy is one of the many creatures tracked by Ocearch, a nonprofit organization dedicated to researching sharks and other apex predators. That group tags and releases great whites, bull sharks and other species and updates their whereabouts on its website.

An aerial photography company out of the Vero Beach also captured some amazing photos of a shark swarm in the Sebastian Inlet earlier this month.

While sharks can pose problems for Florida residents and visitors alike from time to time, the state does impose rather strict regulations on capturing the creatures. To find out more about the state’s rules, visit FWC online.

Screenshot

Keep up with what’s happening around town and the state by signing up for your favorite Patch daily newsletter: Bloomingdale-Riverview, Bradenton, Brandon, Carrollwood-Northdale, Clearwater, Dunedin, East Lake, Gulfport, Land O’ Lakes, Largo, Lutz, New Port Richey, New Tampa, Palm Harbor, Pinellas Beaches, Safety Harbor, Sarasota, Seminole Heights, South Tampa-Hyde Park, St. Pete, Tarpon Springs, Temple Terrace, Westchase.