They're really rare in that area. About the only time they come inland is before a big storm.
Pensacola is the HUGE naval air station right next door to Jacksonville . Meaning there is CONSTANT air traffic. When the sharks come into shallow waters, it's known immediately, and there's pictures all over the news. And locals get ready for a big blow, no matter what the weathermen say. It's rare, though. Typically only during hurricane season do the sharks come out of the gulf and into the mile of 'near shore'.
Oh. In SoCal, surfing at night is known as Kamikaze Surfing (because that's when the sharks come out) when I was living in Pensacola, the concept made no sense to locals. Sharks come with storms, not at night! They all looked at me like I was nuts to not go in the water after dark. I was hesitant for awhile, but there just aren't a lot of sharks in the area, and if they're hunting, it's elsewhere. Then I discovered the joys of skinny dipping in phosphorescent water at night. Soooo much fun! The waves actually glow as they break, and any time you move, you and the water around you glows, too.
I FEEL you, by the by. Sharks don't B. me (but I grew up around nurse sharks, which are harmless, not reefsharks/blacktips/etc, but gators???? I cannot cannot cannot stand alligators. You will NOT find me in freshwater in the south!
