Mding with the Sharks at the Coca Beach Pier

Got to spend a few days "glamping" at Jetty Park in Port Canaveral for my 28th wedding anniversary and saw a couple things that don't happen all the time. The Sharks were defiantly a concern like no other time I have seen in the surf with swimmers. 3 times while there they had to be taken seriously. Got there mid morning and the tide had just passed slack and starting to drop. Nice trough for the surfers but only a few there and the water is loaded with Mullet and other types of bait. Wrong time to be in the surf I was telling myself. 2 things I have learned as a diver you don't swim around the bait fish and I don't bob on the surface but ascend as quick as possible. Waking along the edge of the lifeguard path a guard blows by me with whistle blowing and waving like crazy. Get out. Then I look and a big shadow with a fin on top is heading N. toward the pier in the trough. Some curls but easy to see in the water. 1/2 hour goes by before we are let back in. Told I could go on N side of pier but no lifeguards so good luck.
Got back in with the wife a little spooked about it and was heading S. just about out of the lifeguarded area in waste deep water and I hear the whistle again but this time I was not far from this one. Out I go as fast as I could and another small wait till I get back in.
A couple hours go by and the tide had dropped enough where the trough only had a few deeper holes left. I was well S. of the guarded area and watching a guys reel get stripped of all his line by a shark and look a little ways down and a 4 footer is pushing its way along the shallow area towards a deeper area where 2 guys and a girl were in above the knee water. The girl sees it coming and jumps all the way to the guys shoulder in one leap while screaming so hard you heard it very clearly over everything else. They backed up till they were out and ran up the beach. Didn't see her get back in all afternoon.
Every evening at Jetty Park Pier before dark the snook would wreak havoc on the bait for 20 minutes and it was a sight to see as the bait was going everywhere. Lots of old Turtles with barnacles on their back on the rocks along with a stray mantee and several Manta Rays breaching made for some fun site seeing.
I got one 18k plated SS "Steelmate" ring with 8 glass stones which came from the dry sand with my ET and 13" Ultimate coil. Was my first target when I got on the beach Sunday and it went downhill after that. Did look good in the hole though. One turtle charm and change is all I got on both beaches. Only one pop tab and some shredded aluminum. Targets were few. There were some really high waves and the tides the week before so the waves were going into the dunes so I guess it buried the trash or washed it out to sea. I did find that Sharknado isn't just a made for TV movie because it came close to being real for me that day! HH JR
Tom you warned me I might see a lot of beer cans if near the jetty but you didn't say anything about Jaws.
Had a lots of laughs on the charter boat docks with a few crusty locals, some great seafood at Grills and Fishlips and looked at a couple RV parks on the island to park and rest my old bones in the near future.

Good write up.

Thanks for sharing

Sounds like a great time.....

The warm waters of Cocoa Beach always have plenty of 'teeth' year-round.

Enjoyed your story SN, and pictured it well......sharks are bad-ass fascinating creatures.

Thanks guys it was a fun vacation. Just wish I had my phone on me for a video.