More species of sharks visit Hilton Head than you might think.Here’s how many there are and what you need to know

Did you know that the waters around Beaufort County are home to several species of sharks?

Although species and their populations change throughout the year, some are almost always nearby depending on the season.

While this may come as a shock to some, it’s actually not as serious a problem as many people think.

Just as sharks inhabit the ocean, including the waters around Beaufort County, some may find themselves feeding in nearby rivers or even near the waves.

Some species, such as the great white shark, are typically more of a winter species around Hilton Head Island, while others are primarily only seen in the summer.

Depending on the season and your distance from shore, you may encounter 20 to 40 different shark species. However, if you only consider the sharks you might encounter within a few miles of shore throughout the summer, there are about 13 or 14 shark species in the area, said Bryan Frazier, lead researcher on the South Carolina shark study. .

As for the types of sharks you might encounter while surfing, they might include blacktip, finetooth, bonnethead, spinner, or lemon sharks.

Frazier said these species typically feed in very shallow water.

The Atlantic sharpnose shark, which occasionally swims in the surf, is one of the most common species along the South Carolina coast, and many are caught while surf fishing from the beach. The Atlantic sharpnose shark is one of the smaller shark species.

Some larger shark species, such as great whites, bull sharks, hammerheads and tiger sharks, can come close to shore but are not usually seen on beaches unless caught while surf fishing. However, they do feed in nearby coastal waters.

Frazier said if you do see a shark in the water, there’s usually no need to panic.

They are there most of the time. We couldn’t see them because the water was so murky, but they were there. You know, that’s where they’re supposed to be. Frazier said they live in the ocean and feed in surf zones where bait is available.

Blacktip and other sharks are often found in the surf around Hilton Head, Beaufort County and other coastal areas in South Carolina, feeding on small bait fish such as mullet and menhaden, which are common in surf zones. Cod and kingfish are also common forage fish for certain shark species that inhabit nearby surf areas.

As for the bonnethead sharks, they can often be seen in the surf feeding on blue crabs.

If you notice a shark feeding in the surf, it’s likely a blacktip shark, easily identified by its black-tipped dorsal fin.

In the coastal waters surrounding Hilton Head Island and other areas of Beaufort County, larger species such as bull sharks are more common in deeper parts of channels and river areas where there is more food. Fortunately, these are areas where people don’t usually go swimming. Fraser said these larger, longer sharks include great whites, bull sharks, tiger sharks, hammerheads, lemon sharks, spinner sharks, sandbar sharks and blacktip sharks.

South Carolina’s entire coastal waters are home to all the large sharks found anywhere in the world, depending on the time of year.