Watch the moment ‘massive’ hammerhead shark circled paddleboarders off Florida beach

The moment a very large hammerhead shark began sizing up nearby paddleboarders was caught on drone video off Palm Beach, Florida, and it’s giving people chills on social media.

It appears to have been almost 11 feet in length, making it slightly larger than the paddleboards.

The video shows one of the paddleborders dropped to all fours and froze as he watched and waited for the shark to swim past him.

Sportsman Evan Parness posted the video Feb. 21 on Facebook, calling the moment “epic” and “an adrenaline rush.”

“It’s not often you get this close to a monster hammerhead on a paddle board … let alone have a drone over you recording it,” he wrote.

“This massive hammer was around all morning hunting for blacktip sharks & these paddle boarders got the experience of a lifetime! This shark checked them out multiple times. It’s really amazing to see just how large that shark is next to the boards.”

Parness estimates the shark was 12 to 13 feet long, and he says it meant no harm to the paddleboarders. He filmed the video Feb. 19 off Palm Beach.

Waters off Florida are home to the great hammerhead shark, a species that grows to 18 feet and can live as long as 20 years, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The nomadic species is found in “open ocean and the shallow coastal waters” off both Florida coastlines, the commission says.

Comments on the video have ranged from awe to terror, with some calling the scene their worst fear and a clear indication it was time to get out of the ocean.

“Time to paddle a bit harder,” Alberto Martinez wrote.

“That thing is huge! Hope it’s not hungry!” Jayanne McLaughlin posted.

“You just never know the monsters that are beneath you,” Kevin Halstead said.

This story was originally published February 23, 2022 at 10:22 AM with the headline "Watch the moment ‘massive’ hammerhead shark circled paddleboarders off Florida beach."