Heroic Man Rescues Shark at Popular Louisiana Beach Destination

It's Louisiana's favorite time of year to head to one of the many beaches along the Gulf Coast. Beaches like Destin, Orange Beach, and Pensacola, to name a few, are also home to beach critters that it's best to keep an eye out for.

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Experts say that April through June is when Gulf Coast beachgoers can expect to see an increase in sharks swimming closer to shore in search of warmer waters. “The ones that don't like warm water are still here, and the ones that are residents are happy, and they're not looking for colder water,” according to Dr. Powers.

Especially with the recent shark attacks that rocked the local communities who vacation at these popular beach spots, it's understandable that beachgoers may be frightened when they see a large shark while relaxing on the beach. However, not all sharks are technically 'bad sharks, ' which is certainly easier to say than believe when you are faced with one yourself.

Hero Saves Shark At Miramar Beach

One beachgoer did not let fear stop him when he came into contact with a shark. He was vacationing with his family at Miramar Beach in Walton County, a popular beach spot amongst Louisiana travelers when he decided to throw a couple of lines out and catch some fish. Well, he caught a fish, alright. To his surprise, he had caught a nurse shark.

As people pointed out in the comments, nurse sharks are not a threat and are slow-moving, bottom-dwelling fish that typically mind their own business.

Once he realized his mistake, he jumped into action, and photos were captured of the heroic moment where he saved the nurse shark and made sure it returned to the water safely.

Shark Rodeo Anyone?

The man then straddles the shark to remove the hook, and according to WEAR ABC 3 News "He removed the hook and released the shark back into the Gulf".

Commenters had a laugh about this being a 'different kind of rodeo'.

Lucy Hu said, "Flordia style rodeo", which is pretty accurate.

Visitors over the age of 16 and residents under the age of 65 are required by the state to have a Fishing License unless they are participating in a fishing charter. Licenses can be obtained through Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, www.MyFWC.com.