Shark Photobombs Florida Surfer

PALM BEACH, FL — Photobombing has become such a popular pastime it seems it’s not even safe to go into the water anymore.

At least that was the case Thursday for a surfer out riding the waves off Palm Beach. As the man was surfing away, his girlfriend, Jordan Waldron, was snapping shots of him in action. Waldron managed to snag what might be the best photobomb … ever.

One of her pictures shows her boyfriend riding the same wave as a shark. Whether the surfer was aware of his company or not remains unknown. Waldron did tell the Sun Sentinel there were “tons of sharks that day” off Reef Road.

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Blacktip sharks, in fact, have been seen by the thousands over the past few weeks in the waters off Palm Beach County. It is unclear exactly what type of shark decided to photobomb Waldron’s boyfriend.

Blacktips are known to grow up to 6 feet in length and are responsible for many of the Sunshine State’s reported shark attacks. Rather skittish creatures, however, they are more likely to take off when humans are in the water, experts say.

Florida once again led the country and the world in the number of confirmed, unprovoked shark attacks in 2015. There were 30 confirmed attacks in Florida and 98 worldwide. The worldwide number broke the record of 88 set back in 2000.

While Florida does led the world in shark attacks, George Burgess, director of the International Shark Attack File, says the odds are against beachgoers becoming victims. That, however, doesn’t mean commonsense shouldn’t be used in the water.

“The sharks are swimming in and amongst us all the time,” he said. “They’re doing their thing.”

To avoid attacks, Burgess recommends people always remember the fact that humans are not part of a shark’s ecosystem.

“We’re invading their world,” he said. “We’ve got to have some boundaries. (The ocean) is not a backyard or the YMCA pool.”