Sightings of multiple dorsal fins off North Carolina beach trigger shark fears
The appearance of large dorsal fins sticking out of the ocean off Oak Island, North Carolina, has rattled nerves and prompted an alert from the town’s water rescue team.
It is assumed the fins were attached to sharks prowling a bit too close to the beach.
“We don’t want to alarm anyone because this is a very natural thing, but we received a report and pictures of what appear to be large sharks swimming just off the beach near 4300 East Beach Drive,” Oak Island Water Rescue posted Thursday on Facebook.
“We will be investigating this further and will be flying our purple flag today to warn of possible dangerous fish.”
The photos racked up 2,000 comments and reactions on Facebook within three hours, along with 3,500 shares.
Some commenters suggested the fins might be whales, dolphins, or manta rays. Others questioned why sharks should cause alarm, given the ocean is their home.
But it’s a home they share with humans.
In June, the state had a suspected shark bite involving a 7-year-old girl at Ocean Isle Beach, McClatchy News reported. She received stitches and her injuries were considered non-life threatening, officials said.
The state had three reported shark attacks last year, but none were fatal, McClatchy reported.
Great white sharks, bull sharks and sand tiger sharks are common off North Carolina, but they rarely get close enough to shore to interact with swimmers. The exception is when they are chasing schools of fish or other prey, experts say.
The largest sharks in local waters are great whites, which grow to 20 feet and can weigh “several tons,” according to Oceana.org. The state’s coast is a suspected mating ground for the species, McClatchy reported in March.
Sharks typically stick to the fringe of the Gulf Stream off N.C., where “upwelling” stirs up nutrients that attract schools of fish. The sharks feast on those fish, according to the shark research agency OCEARCH.
This story was originally published July 22, 2021 at 1:15 PM with the headline "Sightings of multiple dorsal fins off North Carolina beach trigger shark fears."