Beachgoers were in for quite a surprise when several sharks were spotted close to shore in Orange Beach on May 28, and experts say that won't slow down anytime soon.

Footage of the sharks was caught using a drone and posted on Facebook by beachgoer Rex Jones.

According to an October 2022 post from Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Tourism, Alabama is home to around 50 species of sharks and 20 to 30 of those are species that beach patrons could encounter.

"Anglers won’t encounter nearly as many sharks in the spring but those shark numbers increase in June," said Dr. Sean Powers, head of the University of South Alabama's marine and environmental sciences department. “Even the small ones will be offshore in more stable temperatures until the water warms up, and they come inshore to feed."

However, Powers said to expect those sharks to retreat once the temperature further increases in August and September.

"They are really temperature sensitive, they don’t like it too cold or too hot," Powers said.

According to Powers, it is most likely that fishermen could interact with the Atlantic sharpnose shark, spinner sharks or blacktip sharks.

Readers may recall a recent incident from March 7, when a great white shark was captured by anglers off the shores of Orange Beach.

“To see such a big shark like the great white, it was very eye-opening to have that show up," said Jill Hendon, director of the University of Southern Mississippi's Center for Fisheries Research and Development. "Are they out there? Yes. But to have them caught on the beach and able to be landed and confirmed was an eye-opening sight for sure."

Hendon said that beachgoers shouldn't be too afraid of being attacked by a shark. In fact, she said that is the last word she would use.

"When humans see something new or want to learn something about our environment, we have hands. Sharks are very similar to your new puppy; they explore with their mouth or in a shark's case, its head," Hendon said. "When you hear about sharks being able to detect a drop of blood, yes that is absolutely certain. They have very heightened and very able senses, but does that make them go on feeding frenzies or want to eat whatever they have sensed? Absolutely not.”

Powers urged all beachgoers to do their research and pay attention to the beach flag system before entering the water.

“If they see a purple flag, that’s an indication of dangerous sea life,” Powers said. "If they see a shark, they can just withdraw, and the sharks will be on their way shortly. The bull sharks and blacktip sharks are the ones the beachgoers will probably even notice. The smaller ones, they probably won’t even notice."

For more information on beach safety, visit gulfshoresal.gov or text ALBEACHES to 888-777.