SINGER ISLAND, FL-- Cool weather wasn't the only reason swimmers could be excused from avoiding the water off Singer Island.
Once again hundreds and hundreds of sharks were spotted offshore Monday.
And while sharks experts say the chance of being bitten are pretty close to infinitesimal, and dying even less, swimmers should use common sense.
Shark researcher George Burgess has a list of tips on his web site at the Florida Museum of Natural History.
Several types of sharks are common off the coast this time of year as they follow schools of migrating fish along the coastline.
Saturday a fisherman hooked a 6 foot long spinner shark along the Riviera Beach shoreline. When he attempted to cut it loose, the shark took a bite out of his foot.
Also on Saturday friends gathered in the water to remember Stephen Schaefer. The kite boarder was fatally attacked by a shark off of Hutchinson Island Wednesday.
The group formed a circle and tossed flowers into the deep blue waters to honor Schaefer's memory.
A memorial service for Schafer will take place at 1 p.m. Tuesday at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, 623 E. Ocean Blvd. in Stuart.
Memorial donations may be made to the Rivers Coalition Defense Fund, P.O. Box 2627, Stuart, FL 34995 or to a fund being established in Schafer’s honor at Seacoast National Bank.
Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers contributed to this report.
