Hilton Head Island lifeguards clear water after shark sighting off beach Friday morning

Lifeguards on Hilton Head Island cleared the water for a half-hour Friday morning after a shark was spotted swimming close to a Palmetto Dunes beach.

The sighting occurred around 11 a.m. Friday at beach marker 77, located off the Hampton Place oceanfront complex, according to beach patrol director Mike Wagner. Shore Beach Service personnel are trained to clear the water for 30 minutes after each shark sighting.

Video from the beach shows the shark bobbing between waves in the shallow surf. Local shark expert Chip Michalove said it appeared to be a lemon shark, a species easily recognized because of its two dorsal fins. Lemon sharks are known to travel close to shorelines but pose little threat to humans, experts say.

Beach patrol uses whistles to alert swimmers after a shark is seen, Wagner said. If lifeguards can determine its direction of travel, they’ll clear the water in that direction. Otherwise, the “immediate area” is made off-limits to swimmers.

Hilton Head lifeguards reported three likely shark bites in the month of July, an unusual spike relative to typical summer months. Shore Beach Service was not aware of any incidents in August, Wagner said.