‘My heart just dropped’: Shark spotted feet away from swimmers off Tybee Island

TYBEE ISLAND, Ga. — Video shows a shark get dangerously close to swimmers off the Georgia coast earlier this week.

Video shared with WJCL by Hayley Thompson shows a shark fin pop up near several swimmers close to the shore near the Tybee Pier and Pavilion on July 9.

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People on the pier are fishing as a fin pops up near a cluster of swimmers.

“Move!” one person yells.

“My heart just dropped,” another person says.

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It’s unclear what kind of shark it was.

No purple flag warnings were issued for sharks this week, although on one day, there was a warning about jellyfish.

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Since 1837, Georgia has experienced 17 unprovoked shark attacks. A Tybee Island instructor was bitten while giving a lesson in 2021.

Last month, three swimmers were attacked by a shark off of the panhandle in Florida. A 15-year-old girl lost her hand and leg and a woman lost her arm. Another teen suffered a bite to the foot.

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