Surfers Capture Leaping Spinner Shark On Video!

February 4, 2009

Release from: John Bianchini and Florida Program for Shark Research

Click on the image above to see the video of the spinner shark leaping out of the water! Provided by John Bianchini

Three men from Florida were surfing off Hutchinson Island when they witnessed a huge, 7-foot shark leap out of the water. The shark, a spinner shark, was within feet of the men. It jumped 5-6 times before swimming away. In the meantime, the surfers were quite amazed by the footage they were able to catch with their video camera.

Surfer Kevin Barry said that the video gave them a great chance to see the shark rather than seeing the splash out of the corner of their eyes. When played in slow motion, its easy to see the entire shark and how large it was.

Another surfer, John Bianchini said he hadn't seen anything like it and with how frequently spinner sharks leap out of the water and how many cell phones and cameras there are on the beach - they are very lucky to have caught the shark on film!

The spinner shark (Carcharhinus brevipinna) is an active, fast swimming shark that is often seen leaping out of the water, spinning (from where it gets its common name), in pursuit of prey. For more information on this magnificent animal, please visit the Spinner Shark Species Account on the Florida Museum Of Natural History's web site.