Shark Park NSB Educates Visitors In 2017's 'Shark Bite Capital Of The World'

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New Smyrna Beach, FL - New Smyrna Beach has been named the 2017 "Shark Bite Capital of the World" by Florida Museum’s International Shark Attack File (ISAF) and Shark Park NSB, a park recently opened by New Smyrna Beach entrepreneur Scott Spencer, is designed to educate residents and visitors about sharks.

Shark Park NSB is located at 175 North Causeway Blvd. in New Smyrna Beach. Spencer is a law school graduate, CPA and former world-class surfer and free-diver, who calls sharks our "neighbors."

"Shark Park NSB was designed to be an interactive learning adventure for both kids and adults. We have many amazing, shark-related activities and exhibits all geared towards raising awareness, not fear, about our shark neighbors," said Spencer. "Our goal is to inform and educate residents and visitors about these beautiful, impressive sea creatures. There is no denying we are the 'Shark Bite Capital of the World,' why not use that distinction to raise awareness, not fear?"

According to Nat Geo WILD, anyone who has gone swimming in the waves of New Smyrna Beach has been within 10 feet of a shark. To prove the point and to complete the guest experience, Spencer wades guests into the water where he trains them to spot sharks. He sometimes uses aerial drones equipped with cameras to help spot sharks from above the ocean, then paddle-boards out to get a closer view if necessary, so he can point them out to guests.

One particular female shark, a tagged great white, named "Katherine" is famous to New Smyrna Beach thanks to her very close to the beach Ocearch Pings. Spencer cites her current travel behavior as unusual and only about 50 miles due east of NSB. Spencer hopes to capture photos of her soon.

Part of Shark Park NSB's core mission is catching, tagging and releasing sharks for research purposes, most of which is directed toward organizations like the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Guests are invited to participate in all aspects of the NOAA-National Marine Fisheries sponsored tagging at Shark Park NSB.

"A big thrill for our returning guests is checking NOAA's recapture data to monitor the travels of a shark they helped catch, tag and release weeks earlier," said Spencer.

Shark Park NSB does not maintain captive wild animals. "The era of keeping wild animals captive is over. We love our shark visitors, we even name them. But, we know we won't have them for long," said Spencer.

The main laboratory building, located on the 2-acre park site, temporarily houses different species of sharks before they are released back into the wild. On a given day, guests might see a bonnet head shark or a nurse shark swimming in the Visiting Celebrity Guest Shark Tank. Newborn (egg birth) sharks are housed and hand fed in special aquariums until they are assessed and approved for release.

A popular, kid-friendly feature of the park is the Shark Tooth Hunting Beach located on the property. "The kids love finding and identifying the type of shark the petrified teeth came from. We guarantee they they will find some shark teeth, if you know what I mean," said Spencer.

Find more information about Shark Park NSB here or call (727) 647-2948.

Photos courtesy of Scott Spencer and Digital Storm & Shutterstock.com. .

Copyright Southern Stone Communications 2017.