After multiple shark sightings over the weekend, people in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, are wondering if Hurricane Erin is causing sharks to swim closer to the shore as the massive storm skirts by the United States this week.
Why It Matters
As of Thursday morning, Hurricane Erin was a Category 2 storm with maximum sustained wind speeds of 105 miles per hour. Earlier in its progression, Erin was much stronger, even reaching Category 5 strength over the weekend.
Shark behavior is often a topic of conversation during hurricanes and tropical storms, as it’s common for hoax photos and videos of sharks swimming in flooded streets to surface during hurricanes.
What to Know
On Tuesday, The Sun News reported that at least five shark sightings were reported near Myrtle Beach shores over the weekend.
Coastal Carolina University marine biologist Erin Burge explained that although hurricanes can influence shark behavior, they are more likely to swim away from the shore. It is often the presence of fish, not storms, that brings sharks closer to shore. Shark sightings also begin to increase starting in September, as waters cool…