Three attacks in July raise question: Are there more sharks in Hilton Head Island’s surf?

Beyond a stretch of beach and into the surf, fear and fascination lie below Hilton Head Island waters.

Sometimes it’s a fin poking from the ocean’s surface. Other times, diving birds alert to what’s submerged. This summer, three shark bites were reported on the island in July and most recently, there was a call to clear Palmetto Dunes’ waters as a result of the feared fish.

Cell phone photos and video footage shared across social media platforms have perpetuated the belief that shark sightings and attacks on Hilton Head are happening more frequently. It’s raised the question: are there more sharks stalking the island’s surf?

Fishermen out on the sea and scientists buried in research say there are more sharks in these waters, but it’s more nuanced than that. The rise in population indicates healthy fisheries that took decades to rebuild. This shouldn’t stoke panic in beachgoers, experts say. Instead, it’s vital to learn how to live among them because when wading into the island’s surf, bumping into the fish is a risk any swimmer takes.

Shark species in Hilton Head waters

Blacktips. Great whites. Lemons. Tigers. Bulls. Hammerheads.

There’s no shortage of varied shark species roaming the waters off Hilton Head. But it’s the blacktips that are to blame for near-shore chaos.

Chip Michalove, a Hilton Head charter captain, said between May and September, menhaden and mullet swim in large schools closer to shore. The fish are a staple in a blacktip’s diet.

“Every attack I’ve ever seen on Hilton Head was from a black tip, except one,” Michalove said.

When blacktips are looking for a food source near shore, their curiosity around what they perceive as foreign, typically human legs, can lead them to take a bite to detect whether its a food source. Blacktips also feast on dead or wounded prey, so slow-moving humans that aren’t sleek like darting fish can be caught in the confusion.

Usually, the fish takes one bite and swims off, because humans aren’t on its menu, Michalove said.

Lemon sharks also come closer to shore to scout out their favorite snack, stingrays. But lemons are “pretty harmless,” Michalove said. Bull, tiger, and sandbar sharks mostly stay in deeper waters because of their prey.

Even though shark sightings and social media buzz may spark hesitation in some swimmers, seeing more of the species in near-shore or deep waters is a trade-off to what’s a healthy ecosystem.

A healthy fishery

Nearly 50 years ago, fishery regulations didn’t exist, leading to over-fishing.

As the devastating effect moved up the food chain, predators relying on smaller fish for nourishment went without them. Passed in 1976, the Magnuson–Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act put in place laws for the long-term biological and economic sustainability of marine fisheries, according to the legislation.

Up until then, there were “no checks and balances on fishing,” said Kim Ritchie, a University of South Carolina-Beaufort professor.

Now, decades spent under the act, Ritchie said the conservation efforts are becoming clearer up the food chain. And yes, increasing the health of fisheries means more sharks.

Michalove, who’s fished the waters for years, has seen the changes to shark populations. Even though some species in the area, like tiger sharks, are decreasing, overall the species’ population near the island are “pretty healthy,” Michalove said.

“We’re in their backyard”

Compared to previous years, the three attacks that all happened in July on the Hilton Head weren’t a count out of the ordinary.

Michalove said each summer there are between two and three shark attacks on the island, adding that most occur before Labor Day when the beaches are jam-packed.

On July 4, beachgoer Ashley Wise was waist-deep in the water at Sea Pines when sharp teeth pierced her foot, according to previous reporting by The Island Packet . Nearly three weeks later, on July 22, a woman swimming near Beach Marker 26 in Sea Pines was bitten on the foot but quickly controlled the bleeding. Five days following the second attack, Tyler Hall, a Statesboro resident, was in chest-deep water at Burkes Beach on July 27 when he felt teeth “clamp down” on his foot, resulting in nine stitches.

With an increased number of sharks and swimmers sharing the same water off the island’s beaches, apprehension to jump right in is understandable, but it isn’t always necessary.

Having more sharks in the surf doesn’t mean free-spirited swimmers need to retire to beach chair sitters.

Like national park hikers are careful not to get in the way of bears, Ritchie said, beach dwellers should know the signs that sharks are in the area when swimming through “their backyard.”

Birds diving and fish jumping are tell-tale signs of a looming shark. Ritchie also said that swimmers should be wary of swimming during dawn and dusk, since sharks are typically on the hunt then.