I know this sounds incredibly lame and touristy. I have to been to Anna Maria quite a few times because my husband's family lives near Tampa and I love it. This coming June I am taking my side of the family (From Washington State) down to Anna Maria. My brother is incredibly paranoid about sharks and also about his nine year old daughter. Even though I know how rare sharks attacks are in general, and never even think about it, does anyone have any sort of stats or anything about shark attacks around Anna Maria. THANK SO MUCH

I live in Florida and faced the same issue when my family from Washington State first came to visit here. Will it make your brother feel better if he knew that there have been fewer than 10 attacks in that area since 1882? Be sure to remind him that Puget Sound is home to sixgill sharks. ;-)

Take a look here:
http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/sharks...tack/MapFL.htm

His daughter will be playing in water 2 feet deep. No worries. Shark attacks get a lot of media attention but are really rare, even if you are surfing way out in deeper water. I'd be a lot more concerned with lightening strikes or terrorism or falling meteors.

Thanks! I will relay the info. And let the over-protective daddy rest easy.

I was just on Anna Maria (the Gulf side) and sited a 4 foot long pale gray shark in the surf right next to the beach. He was swimming up the beach scooping up fish in the surf. Don't know if he is considered a dangerous species but it gave me pause since I was swimming in that spot every day for 10 days previously! Other people on the beach came to look and confirmed that it was indeed a shark. So obviously, sharks may be there and we should be on the lookout.

We were just on Longboat Key (next to Anna Maria) a little over a week ago and from our balcony we saw something swimming close to shore. My husband is pretty convinced it was a shark since it was alone. I tend to think it was a dolphin. Later in the day we saw lots of dolphin playing further out.

I was just on Anna Maria (the Gulf side) and sited a 4 foot long pale gray shark in the surf right next to the beach. He was swimming up the beach scooping up fish in the surf.

so?, it's their territory......

Don't know if he is considered a dangerous species but it gave me pause since I was swimming in that spot every day for 10 days previously! Other people on the beach came to look and confirmed that it was indeed a shark. So obviously, sharks may be there and we should be on the lookout.

I've been swimming in Sarasota area for many years and never had any issues with sharks, stingrays or jellyfish. I know they're out there but let's be honest, what are the chances that YOU will be a victim. In your case, you were not, so why cause a panic with "I saw". Sharks in general do not attack people, only the real hungry ones and only when provoked by something as in having shiny jewelry, etc. As one of the previous posters stated, that there were only 10 shark attacks in the area since 1882. Billions of people swimming every day since then. No need to panic or even watch for. You have a better chance of winning the lotto, seriously...

Sorry--I was not trying to panic anyone. The issue was a small child playing in very shallow water. One of the previous replies indicated safety in being in just 2 feet of water. Just wanted parents to be alert even if children are in shallow surf on the beach.

This has become more of an issue on Anna Maria with those who fish and those who swim, and whether there should be a designated area to throw chum into the water for shark.
We swim in the gulf and have seen shark..they haven't bothered anyone...but they are there. We have seen them only in the evening (before sunset) and when there were people fishing near by.

For me, the point is that sharks live in the ocean (as do stingrays and jellyfish and dolphins and lots of other things!), so the only way protective Dad can 100% guarantee his 9 year-old's safety is to never let her play in any ocean anywhere. That said, the chances of her being attacked in shallow water near the shore are almost nonexistent. People tend to panic about a specific location when a shark attack occurs there, naturally, but then everyone forgets about it again; Anna Maria is certainly not considered dangerous because of sharks.

With a child that age she is probably at much more risk of drowning than being attachd by a shark. One large enough to see her as food won't be in water less than 2 feet deep.

That said my father/brother caught a sand shark (about 5 feet long but mostly tail) while surfcasting off of Jones Beach LI off season. they had no chum - just regular bait - and were going for stripers I think. Once they realized what it was they threw it back - but it was definitely caught inside the breakers - but more like 3 to 3.5 feet of water - where many thousands of people play in the surf every summer.

Yes - its the ocean and there are sea cratures everywhere - one must just exercise normal caution.