Paducah Couple Encounters Shark While in Florida
By Easton Sanders
PANAMA CITY BEACH - After an encounter with a shark while in Florida, a Paducah couple says they will spend the rest of their vacation on dry land.
On Monday, while vacationing on Shell Island at Panama City Beach, 22-year-old Adison Wildharber and his girlfriend, 21-year-old Taylor Smith shared an experience they are not likely to forget.
The couple drifted out into the water about 70 yards from their boat when they noticed a fin come up out of the water and move past them.
"We were literally just talking about how if a shark attacked us we would not be able to do anything about it because we were so far away," Wildharber said. "We realized how far we were and thought we probably need to start getting back to the boat since we were so far out."
Smith said when they first noticed the shark, their immediate reaction was to freeze.
"Our first reaction was we froze. We both sat there and didn't do anything," she said. "After it went under the water, we were just scared to move. We waited there for a little bit to see if it would keep going, then got off our raft and headed back to the boat."
Wildharber said they were concerned that if they moved, the shark might be more interested in them.
After the close encounter, the couple says they plan to spend the rest of their vacation on dry land enjoying the sunshine.
They shared some advice for others that might be swimming in shark territory, "always be aware of your surroundings."
As of Thursday, a video of the encounter has racked up over 18,000 views on Facebook and over 50,000 views on Youtube.
You can see a video of the encounter below.