Two friends had a rare encounter with a mako shark in Destin, Florida.
Scott Burke, 20, had been fishing off his paddle board when headed back to shore where his friend Dylan Sims,25, was working at Ride on Surf School.
As the two were talking they spotted something rushing through the water.
At first they thought a dolphin might be feeding in the clear Florida water, but then figured out what was happening.
“…we saw a big shark breach out of the water, jawing onto a big Tarpon!!,” Burke said.
With a camera ready, the two Destin natives hopped on their paddleboards and headed out to see the action unfold.
Burke estimated the shark was around 8- to 9-feet long, which may be a little off. He said that after the shark killed the tarpon it would spit it out take a bite, then swim around with it in its mouth. It is possible the shark was protecting the kill from the boarders and scavenging seagulls.
Mako sharks tend to prefer deep water but have been known to visit the shallows in search of a meal.
In 2015, an angler landed a 10-ft mako shark off Panama City Beach. Matthew Pemberton need the help of seven others to land the 600-pound shark which was eaten by the men’s friends and family.
Mako sharks are not an immediate threat to humans, but will attack if provoked.
The shortfin mako was classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Makos, like many shark species are slow-growing and reproduce slowly. Overfishing and by-catch are two of the biggest threats to the sharks.
Earlier this year mako shark fins were found along with other endangered species for sale at local fish and chip shops in the United Kingdom.
