Great white shark spotted 4 miles off Florida beach

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – There was a great white shark a few miles off the coast of Atlantic Beach in Jacksonville, Fla., authorities said. It was an unusual sight. They sharks are usually off the coast of New Jersey and Massachusetts in the summer and off the coast of Florida in the winter. 

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute shared the photo on Instagram this week. Researchers spotted it, while they were taking an aerial survey for whales. 

Experts said there is nothing to fear. The  last time a great white shark killed someone in the Eastern United States was in 1957.

Read more about this story from our sister station WPLG-TV in Miami.

How to avoid shark attack

- Don't swim far from shore

- Don't swim near commercial fishermen

- Don't wear anything shiny 

- Beware of sharks in between sandbars

- Don't swim at dawn or dusk

- Don't swim if you are bleeding

- Swim with a group

- Don't splash too much 

Source: International Shark Attack File at the Florida Museum of Natural Science