Amy Strzalko was enjoying an exceptionally calm evening by Barkers Beach during one of her most recent kiteboarding outings. Little did she know she’d soon have her most memorable marine encounter to date.
With sunset nearing, Strzalko skimmed across the jade water until spotting a darker figure below the surface, maybe 20 feet away from her. She said it was, unmistakably, a hammerhead shark.
“I’m glad I had my camera, otherwise no one would have believed me,” she said in an interview.
She made several passes by, taking video of the shark swimming alongside her.
Smaller species like the nurse shark, reef shark and lemon shark are much more common in the area, and Strzalko said the rare encounter is now at the top of her list of favourite animal sightings out on the water.
Despite their size, hammerheads are known to avoid conflicts with humans.
The Florida Museum of Natural History says no fatal, unprovoked attacks have ever been recorded. Still, Strzalko said she made the few other beachgoers aware of her sighting.
“It was, I would say, about 100 yards off shore – super close in,” she said.
She suspects the shark was hunting for stingrays or other prey given the time of day and relative quietness of the beach.
“I feel very lucky,” she added. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing. Even people who dive don’t often manage to see a hammerhead. So seeing one while doing what I love, just cruising, was incredible.”
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