OAK ISLAND, N.C. (WNCN) — Just as summer begins, some interesting sights in the surf were spotted recently at a North Carolina island south of Wilmington.
Oak Island in Brunswick County is nearly 20 square miles and features all kinds of wildlife.
As the Atlantic Ocean warms up along Oak Island’s 10 miles of beachfront, a shark was accidentally caught in the surf just last week and released.
Sharks are common sights around the 12-mile long island, where at least one charter operates taking folks out on the ocean to try to catch sharks.
Last Saturday, a fisherman accidentally hooked an 8-foot lemon shark, a species that is not normally aggressive toward humans.
The shark was caught as the June Strawberry could be seen over the fishing pier. After catching the shark in the surf, the fisherman struggled a bit to unhook the fish — finally letting it go.
And around Memorial Day, a rare alligator was caught on video at the same Oak Island pier. The gator — a baby — was spotted in clear shallow water.
Mary Frances Barnes Rodriguez caught the video of the gator swimming and floating along the waves.
Oak Island has warned about sharks in the past — and uses a purple flag on beaches to let beachgoers know about possible threats from sea creatures.
So far, on the North Carolina coast, a 14-year-old boy was bitten by a shark last weekend in North Topsail Beach, north of Wilmington in Onslow County.
Five days before the teen was bitten, there was an initial report of a “shark bite” at Sunset Beach in Brunswick County, near the South Carolina line, according to WWAY-TV. Police at the island later said a man was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment after he was bitten by a sea creature, but officials could not confirm it was a shark.
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