Hammerhead shark washes up along shore in Delray Beach

Ryan McDonald, who lives in a condo about a block away said he’s seen hammerheads when fishermen caught them, but never just washing in the surf. But he sees all sorts of interesting things from his view on the beach, McDonald said.

“I was just walking the beach and saw people standing around,” said Steven McGee, visiting from New York for a wedding.

Delray Beach Officer Bob Harris said the shark, a female estimated at 9-feet-long and at least 200 pounds, would be disposed of by the beach cleanup crew about 10 this morning.

“It’s a pretty good sized animal,” he said.

The shark showed no signs of a fatal wound — no gaffing, no propeller slices, no leaders still attached. He said marine life washes ashore a few times a year, but biologists only come out for turtles and whales, which are protected marine animals.