Three Women On Raft Circled By Shiver Of Hammerhead Sharks In Florida

A Memorial Day weekend holiday for a group became one to remember as they came within inches of a group of hammerhead sharks. Lacey Faciane, Casie Thompson and Qyuston Eubanks were on a plastic raft when they were circled by the shiver. The sharks swam close to shore before swimming off into the ocean. The group remained unharmed by the interaction.

The three women were on a yellow floaty, few feet away from the Sand Island shore in Pensacola, Florida. The local women had gone to the beach with their families to enjoy the Memorial Day weekend. Unaware of the encounter they were about to have, the women were enjoying floating about on the raft. They claim that they were in the knee or waist-deep water.

They recalled that hearing boaters shout “shark” before they saw iconic fins sticking out of the water. At least seven hammerhead sharks, some at least 8 feet long were in the busy water, New York Times reported. They circled the boats before going close to the shore where the women were on the floatie. Circling the float, the sharks went back into deep waters without any incident.

In a video reportedly shot by Thompson’s mother, the three women and the sharks circling them can be clearly seen. While people near the beach waded out of the water, the women were stuck on the floatie. Thompson, who was seated between her two friends, had a broken foot making it harder for her to escape the situation. However, the sharks did not pose a threat to the women as they swam away peacefully. The women pointed out that their children were safely on the shore.

Speaking to Fox 10 News, the women shared their reactions. Faciane was amused by the incident. She pointed out that people have to pay a lot of money to have close encounters with sharks. The women ended up having a once-in-a-lifetime experience for free.

Eubanks did not share her friend’s enthusiasm. She said that the sharks made her fear for her life. She said, "I was like 'Lord protect us! If it's time for us to go, it's time for us to go. Just protect us."

According to Florida Museum, there have not been any fatal hammerhead shark attacks in the world. There have only been 16 confirmed non-fatal hammerhead shark attacks globally.