Shark encounters on or near northern Gulf of Mexico beaches seem to be happening with greater frequency and, often, there is video of the encounter.

A compilation video put together by the videography team at AL.com shows some of the more memorable close encounters of the toothy kind.

• June 2017 — A video posted to social media by Kay Rotenberry Blanks showed a shark within just a few feet of the beach on a sunny afternoon in Gulf Shores, thrashing as it chased small fish while beachgoers yelled and screamed for swimmers to get out of the water.
• June 2023 — This video shows fishermen who hooked a shark off Panama City Beach wrestling to remove the hook from the shark’s mouth. Tammy Scott posted the video to social media, saying she had shot the footage in front of the Thomas Donut & Snack Shop. In the video, five men pull the shark onto the beach. Then several restrain the shark while another removes the hook. Ultimately they were able to guide the shark back out to sea.
• July 2023 — Cory Kauffman and his companion, Jacob Nixon, were out for a day of fishing when they got up close and personal with the world’s largest fish species — a whale shark. Spotted off the coast of Destin, Fla., the men watched the whale shark for about 10 minutes before it disappeared into the depths. Less than three weeks later, Kauffman would have his second whale shark encounter, spotting one swimming with a pod of dolphins near the same location.
• September 2023 — A Mako shark was beached on Pensacola Beach, Fla., as caught on video by Tina Fey (no, not that Tina Fey). As Fey is heard exclaiming “Look at them freakin’ teeth!” a group men, including her husband, try to assist the stranded shark, but violent thrashing scared them off. Ultimately, however, the shark would tire and the men were able to drag the shark off the beach. It is seen swimming away at the end of the video.