Lifeguards in two Jersey Shore towns called swimmers out of the Atlantic Ocean Monday afternoon after spotting sharks close to shore.
Margate City Beach Patrol spotted a fin off the Gladstone Avenue beach just before 1 p.m., officials said.
Lifeguards jumped into a rowboat and went out to investigate the sighting. They told NBC10 the shark appeared to be chasing a large school of fish nearby. They did not say what species it was.
No one was injured. Swimming was allowed again about an hour later.
In Avalon, about 27 miles south, bathers in a six block area — between 26th and 32nd Streets — after lifeguards spotted a small shark in waist-deep water. Swimming was stopped three times over two hours. Beach patrol estimated the shark to be around 4-feet long.
Again, no one was hurt.
The public is on a heightened alert for the fish after a series of attacks in North and South Carolina over the past few weeks.
Shark attacks among humans are extremely rare. Tim Heim, a marine biologist with the Atlantic City Aquarium, told NBC10 last month people are more likely to be struck by lightning than attacked by a shark. There have been no recent shark attacks along the Jersey Shore or Delaware beaches.
A half-eaten dolphin carcass washed up in North Wildwood last month sparking interest of vacationers and shark lovers on social media.
