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How many shark attacks in hilton head. Shark Filmed Patrolling Shallow Waters Off Hilton Head Island

 

Vacation Wildlife. Hilton Head Island itself is best known for its world-class beaches, including some of the top family beaches in the U. Bike tours of the island are a popular choice, as are the various options for hiking or a relaxing afternoon stroll. You can even take a water tour to see some of the more isolated habitats that flourish around the island. With the nearby Atlantic Gulf Stream bringing equatorial water, swimming here is always a comfortable temperature. These waters are some of the warmest of any ocean across the globe!

Dangerous encounters with sharks are really quite rare, and sharks in the Hilton Head area pose a small threat when treated responsibly. Scroll down for tips on how to avoid encounters with sharks, and instead have a relaxing beach day. Here are just a few of the many species of sharks that live in the waters here — all of which play important roles in the marine life around Hilton Head! Sharks are an important part of the marine biology of the Eastern Seaboard. They are the top predators, meaning they are the end of the food chain and essential to maintaining that cycle.

Without them, the marine life around Hilton Head, SC would be very different! Here are just a few of the shark species found in the western Atlantic. Since many of them have their breeding grounds in the region, you may get a chance to spot one! Most marine animals, including sharks, have a migration pattern that is determined by the seasons.

The tiger shark does migrate seasonally, but it spends time in South Carolina waters for 9 months of the year, the longest of any other! It falls only to the great white shark, which is only present in South Carolina during winter months when it migrates from the cold New England waters!

The largest tiger sharks can reach a whopping 14 feet in length and come in at pounds. Their appearance is very recognizable, with their memorable spots and black stripes. While tiger sharks in different regions of the world can be aggressive, dangerous encounters with one in the Hilton Head area and South Carolina in general are very unlikely, even though they are fond of shallower waters.

They are also some of the smallest, averaging between 4 and 5 feet in length and coming in at around pounds. Behaviorally, they are quite fond of the surf along the beaches, as well as inlets. While they hang out in some of the same waters, these sharks are generally wary of humans.

Relative to other sharks, they are timid; however, it is important to note that they can become aggressive when provoked or in the presence of food. They have been responsible for a small portion of shark attacks, though most result in very minor wounds. These are some of the quickest and most agile sharks in the world, thanks to their very slim bodies. Despite its honed predation skills, the spinner shark is not considered a dangerous species to humans, and there are actually no recorded accidents with spinner sharks!

Spinners are similar in appearance to Blacktips, as they have the same black-tipped coloring on their fins. However, the spinner sharks are gray with white bands of white and copper tints along their sides.

Spinner sharks vary in size, ranging from 6 to 10 feet long. Spinner sharks are quite common along the Atlantic coast. Common enough, in fact, to be a popular target for sport fishing.

The record for largest spinner caught was recently broken, with the catch coming in at Unfortunately, spinners are also hunted and sold commercially, leading to their listing as a threatened species. Others include the bonnethead, scalloped, and great hammerheads. Hammerhead sharks are some of the most identifiable and loved of all shark species. Hammerhead sharks make great photo ops! They are not aggressive, and have only been responsible for 17 unprovoked attacks worldwide in almost years.

Yes, you read that right — years. Hammerhead sharks have been hunted as a delicacy to near extinction, and as a result they are an environmentally protected species. Hammerheads are some of the most intelligent shark species, with notably large and complex brains responsible for high cognition, intricate social intelligence, and complex relationships with other animals in their habitats.

A combination of how exceedingly rare it is for a shark to actually bite a human, along with 80 professional lifeguards posted at the beaches during daylight hours, means that a lot has to line up to lead to a shark attack. In this region of South Carolina, a total of only 18 documented attacks have occurred in the last years, with no fatalities. Though Hilton Head sharks are generally not aggressive, with its popular beaches, South Carolina is bound to see some encounters with sharks just by nature of the huge volumes of people that frequent the coast sometimes reaching hundreds of thousands of people in a week.

The state as a whole experiences around five shark encounters each year, but experts say that, statistically speaking, there is no reason to worry. A common trait of the recorded attacks has been that the victims had been swimming during the hours that sharks commonly feed — dusk and dawn. It is believed that most shark attacks are due to the shark mistaking a human for their prey, and the low light of these hours can complicate that further.

The waters around Hilton Head are home to the breeding grounds of many different shark species along the Atlantic coast. Despite how many species call the area home, these sharks are not a danger to humans when treated properly. Here are 5 tips for avoiding shark attacks while visiting Hilton Head, SC.

All in all, dangerous encounters with sharks are extremely rare, even when an eye-catching news headline may have you thinking otherwise. In fact, being attacked by a shark is significantly less likely than the chance of being struck by lightning on the same beach — which is to say, very unlikely. Sharks are an essential part of marine life. They can be quite intelligent, and even friendly towards humans, as is the case with hammerhead sharks! Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

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