But in what Walton County Sheriff Michael Adkinson Jr. later called an "exceedingly rare" day, that was only the first shark strike that afternoon. Less than two hours later, two teenage girls were waist-deep in the water on another beach in Walton County when a shark bit them.
Gavin Naylor, director of the Florida Museum of Natural History's shark research program, told The Washington Post that the presence of menhaden fish probably led to the strikes. Sharks chased and ate the small fish as dozens swam near the shore Friday, Naylor said.
While experts have said that movies such as "Jaws" have portrayed sharks as antagonists, they rarely attack people. There were 69 unprovoked and 22 provoked shark bites worldwide last year, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History.
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