Shocking moment panicked swimmers including children rush from Florida sea as shark swims along shore

Dramatic footage shows the shocking moment panicked swimmers rushed from the Florida sea as a shark swam among them just inches from the shore. 

Parents can be seen scrambling to grab hold of their children on Navarre Beach as a dark fin cuts through the blue waters at dusk – the time when sharks are most active.  

The 37-second clip shows Floridians and holidaymakers standing on the west Florida beach gesturing towards the ocean. 

Dozens of people are swimming in the water, and those on the beach scream at them to get out as a fin emerges in the shin-deep water. 

Dramatic footage shows the shocking moment panicked swimmers rushed from the Florida sea as a shark swam among them just inches from the shore

Parents can be seen scrambling to grab hold of their children on Navarre Beach as the dark fin cuts through the blue waters at dusk – the time when sharks are most active

It swims through water so shallow that its back fin and the ridge of its spine emerge for a split second. 

Slicing through the choppy sea close to the water’s edge, the shark heads slightly deeper where most of the swimmers are gathered. 

The cacophony of voices urging them to get out rises, and a woman close to the camera can be heard squealing incoherently. 

A man shouts ‘holy s***! holy f***!’ as the shark surges closer to the swimmers. 

Their voices rise in fear for the swimmers, with multiple people shouting ‘get out!’ while another man comments ‘what the f***’. 

A woman in a swimsuit and cap stands ankle-deep in the water and waves her arms in the air, urging people to hurry. 

Silhouettes can be seen scrambling for the shoreline, with some parents pulling their children along. 

Sharing the video on Twitter, people mused about whether the shark was a bull, a lemon or hammerhead, while some simply commented: ‘OH HELL NAH’. 

Another person said ‘F that’, while one user said the shark was ‘just trying to chill’ as it didn’t attack anyone. 

The video appears to have been shot at dusk, with the water dark beneath a cloudy sky, which is when sharks are most active. 

Slicing through the choppy sea close to the water’s edge, the shark heads slightly deeper where most of the swimmers are gathered

The 37-second clip shows Floridians and holidaymakers standing on the beach gesturing towards the ocean

Dozens of people are swimming in the water, and those on the beach scream at them to get out as a fin emerges in the shin-deep water

Most shark species are nocturnal, and the Florida Museum urges swimmers to ‘avoid being in the water during low light hours (dawn or dusk) and at night when many sharks are most active and feeding’. 

An average of five people die each year globally due to unprovoked shark bites,’ experts at the museum said.  

‘The yearly average of unprovoked shark bites on humans globally is 70, resulting in about five deaths,’ they said. 

‘These worldwide numbers are small given the millions of humans that enter the water. 

‘You have a better chance of dying from a bee sting, a dog or snake bite, or lightning than from a shark bite.’