Whenever we swim in the ocean on Folly Beach, there are likely sharks in the water with us. Sharks are an apex predator and play a key role in a healthy ocean ecosystem.
This summer saw some bites on the Carolina coast, reminding us of our toothy neighbors’ potential for overstepping their bounds. There’s even an account of a captured shark thrashing around and biting a man’s leg in the records of the Union soldiers stationed on Folly during the Civil War.
Sharks provide one of the greatest thrills available for a saltwater fisherman, but we now know that if sharks are caught, they should be released back into the wild. The first image shows Captain Ivan Schultz with a 675-pound tiger shark. He and his brother, Michael, also caught the 714-pounder in the bow of the boat in 1979. Landing a shark of this size on a small boat is no easy task.
Photos provided by Betty Schultz. Many images like this one are included in Stratton Lawrence’s book, Images of America: Folly Beach. To purchase your own personalized signed copies, delivered to your home on Folly Beach, or to share a photo and story for next month’s Folly Flashback column, email Stratton at strattonlawrence@gmail.com.
