The pretty emerald-green waters off the coast of South Carolina draw thousands and thousands of sun-loving beachgoers yearly. However vacationers aren’t the one guests who flock to the seashores for solar and surf; sharks are interested in the state’s estuaries, piers, and fishing holes, the place colleges of fish supply an never-ending buffet. However sharks generally tend to get a foul rap, thank you partially to the 1975 cult vintage Jaws, whose unofficial tagline, “Don’t Cross within the Water,” nervous swimmers out of the Atlantic Ocean for years. In truth, sharks infrequently assault, with just a few species, like the good white, tiger, and bull shark, being territorial and competitive.
In keeping with the Global Shark Assault Report (ISAF) on the Florida Museum of Herbal Historical past, 36 “unprovoked” shark bites had been in the United States in 2023. An “unprovoked” shark chunk happens when a shark assaults an individual within the ocean with out being confused through anyone making an attempt to feed or contact a shark. South Carolina had two reported shark bites in 2023, score in the back of Florida and Hawaii.
Myrtle Seashore
View of Myrtle Seashore South Carolina.
Myrtle Seashore is a well-liked South Carolina holiday hotspot, with greater than 17 million guests interested in its 60 miles of gorgeous sandy seashores, well-known boardwalk, colourful nightlife, and Southern hospitality. The Myrtle Seashore house is known as the Grand Strand and contains 14 communities alongside the South Carolina coast. It’s recognized for common shark sightings, specifically right through summer season. A number of species, together with blacktip and spinner sharks, are not unusual. On reasonable, Myrtle Seashore reviews one to 2 shark assaults in line with 12 months, leading to minor accidents. On August 15, 2022, two other people had been bitten through sharks at the identical time without work the beach of Myrtle Seashore.
Nonetheless, given the thousands and thousands of tourists to Myrtle Seashore yearly, the incidents are moderately uncommon. Maximum incidents happen from overdue spring to early fall, which mirrors the migratory patterns of sharks transferring throughout the heat waters. Fishing draws sharks nearer to shore, particularly close to fishing piers the place fish are being wiped clean, or numerous bait can also be discovered. Sharks are extra energetic right through first light and nightfall, in style occasions for anglers taking a look to reel within the catch of the day.
Sea Pines Seashore
Lemon shark shut up with Remora Fish.
Sea Pines Seashore is on the very south tip of Hilton Head Island—a picturesque barrier island off the coast of South Carolina. The seashore is a part of a personal 5,000-acre group with a hotel, a marina, a woodland keep, and a PGA Excursion golfing group. There are many actions for guests on the Sea Pines Lodge, together with golfing, tennis, water sports activities, and walking alongside the 5 miles of sandy seashores. There may be no scarcity of assorted shark species roaming the waters off Hilton Head. Throughout the summer season, guests would possibly see blacktips, nice tooths, bonnetheads (a smaller hammerhead species present in shallow waters), and lemon sharks within the surf zone. Within the wintry weather, nice white sharks would possibly from time to time be noticed across the island.
The shallow waters across the Sea Pines Lodge are a very good position to peer sharks, because the island’s estuaries and marshes supply nurseries for more than a few shark species. A couple of shark assaults had been reported over time at Sea Pines Seashore, however the possibilities of getting bitten are moderately low. In July 2024, sharks attacked two swimmers at Sea Pines.
Folly Seashore
Circle of relatives strolling at the seashore. Cloudy sky and pier within the background. Folly Seashore, South Carolina USA.
Referred to as Charleston’s Seashore The town, Folly Seashore exudes laid-back vibes. Maximum actions revolve across the water, with browsing, paddle boarding, and kayaking top at the checklist of outside water sports activities to experience. With its proximity to Charleston Harbor and the Atlantic Ocean’s open waters, the seashore is any other top spot for sharks, particularly close to the Folly Seashore Pier. Hammerhead sharks and different shark species are continuously interested in piers due to larger fishing process round those spaces. Hammerheads also are interested in the coastline through the presence of blacktips—a well-liked meal.
Guests to Folly Seashore shouldn’t let the presence of sharks stay them out of the salty sea because the possibilities of being attacked through a shark are low. Sensible protection pointers for averting sharks come with averting swimming right through first light and nightfall and right through or after storms, as the elements can churn up bait fish, attracting those curious ocean dwellers. Birds diving and fish leaping also are tell-tale indicators of a looming shark, so swimmers must be cautious of going within the water in the event that they see this conduct. As a substitute of swimming, guests can search for shark enamel at the seashore, the place beachcombers would possibly to find enamel from lemon sharks, sand tiger sharks, bull sharks, and nice white sharks.
Isle of Arms
Skyline of seashore houses at Isle of Arms, in Charleston South Carolina at break of day.
Eighteen miles from Charleston, the stress-free South Carolina barrier Isle of Arms is a much-loved vacation spot for each locals and vacationers. It has ample marine lifestyles, together with loggerhead sea turtles, dolphins, herons, pelicans, osprey, and sharks. The waters surrounding the picturesque Isle of Arms are house to a number of species of sharks, together with blacktip, bonnethead, and bull sharks.
Blacktip sharks, a regular coastal species, are continuously noticed inshore close to the seashore right through the summer season months of Would possibly to September, as shark process will increase because of migration and breeding patterns. Whilst those sharks are continuously fallacious for extra unhealthy species, they don’t seem to be extremely unhealthy to people as they’re timid. In Would possibly 2023, a swimmer used to be bitten through what used to be regarded as a 4-5 foot juvenile tiger shark on Isle of Arms.
Looking Island
Sand dunes with footpath at break of day, Looking Island State Park South Carolina.
Close to historical Beaufort, Looking Island is a well-liked seashore and a part of South Carolina’s most-visited state park. A couple of million vacationers consult with the park yearly, interested in the just about 5 miles of sentimental white sand at the Atlantic Ocean aspect of the island. At the different aspect of the island, a salt marsh lagoon incorporates a novel ecosystem the place dolphins, tiger sharks, shrimp, crabs, and sure turtle species are discovered, with osprey and eagles hovering overhead.
The seashore has skilled a large number of shark sightings, particularly close to its estuary spaces, due to its wealthy ecosystem, which makes it a beautiful feeding house for sharks. As for the shark species on Looking Island seashore, guests would possibly stumble upon blacktips, finetooths, bonnetheads, spinner sharks, or lemon sharks, which is able to in most cases be noticed feeding on small bait fish, akin to mullet and menhaden, which might be not unusual within the surf zone. There were a number of shark assaults off the seashore on Looking Island over the last 10 years, however none not too long ago.
Abstract
South Carolina is undoubtedly a best shark hotspot in the United States, at the side of Hawaii, California, North Carolina, and Florida, the place New Smyrna Seashore, ranked as essentially the most shark-infested house on the planet, is known as the “Shark Chunk Capital of the International.” In keeping with the Florida Museum of Herbal Historical past ISAF, the percentages of being attacked through a shark are 1 in 11.5 million. There have been 36 shark assaults in the United States, of which two had been deadly—one in California and the opposite in Hawaii. The Palmetto State had two reported shark bites in 2023, however whilst shark sightings and encounters from time to time make headlines, figuring out their conduct and habitats guarantees each guests and those ocean dwellers can safely experience even the 5 maximum shark-infested seashores in South Carolina.
