JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. — All eyes were on the water this weekend after a reported shark bite in Jacksonville Beach.
Now, Jacksonville Beach Ocean Rescue is hoping it serves as a reminder that any time someone goes in the water, they are entering a shark habitat.
"I hope he knows there were a lot of strangers there to help," said Surfer Nadya Hicks, who helped during the attack.
Sixteen-year-old Hicks hasn't been able to get an update on the man she helped save Saturday morning.
Due to medical privacy laws, officials have not released more information on his condition.
The aftermath was caught on camera, with Hicks trying to help him onto her surfboard while a lifeguard ran out to the water.
Just two days later, and some tourists from South Carolina say they think they saw a shark at the same beach access.
"We just saw the tail and the fin, that's pretty much it," said Adrian Segura while packing up at the beach. "We're assuming it was a shark. It was pretty big. Around 8-10 [feet]."
Jacksonville University Marine Biologist Doctor Bryan Franks says any time we have a shark incident on the first coast, he gets asked the same question:
"Is it because populations are increasing? There are some populations that have increased in the last 5-20 years, but there's also some that have still shown decline," said Franks.
Franks says Black tip and Spinner sharks are the most common in the area and are responsible for the majority of bites.
The bite was about a mile away from the Jacksonville Beach Pier, which recently reopened to fishermen.
"I can't speculate on whether that would cause a rise in the number of sharks in that area, but if there are sharks in the region and they sense a struggling fish on a line, they would certainly come near to see what it may be," said Franks.
Ocean Rescue Captain Rob Emahiser says avoiding swimming near a pier is step one to staying out of a shark's path.
"Don't swim at night," said Emahiser. "Don't swim when there is a school of baitfish."
Emahiser says sharks typically avoid crowds, so swimming in a group is helpful, and clear water is best so sharks have an easier chance of telling the difference between you and a fish.
He says if you do see one, stay calm and don't flail around - that will only provoke it.
"Sharks are generally going to pass by you and you may not know it," said Emahiser.
The likelihood of getting bit is still very remote. A recent study found that twice as many people died trying to take a selfie than from shark attacks in the last decade.
Captain Emahiser says while shark attacks make the headlines, they have a much more time and resource consuming issue at the beach - lost kids.
They may see 1-2 shark attacks a year, he says, but they have at least 1-2 lost kids per day, if not more.
He's imploring parents to keep their kids at arms reach at the beach, so they have all resources available in case something does happen in the water.