Video: Shark spotted swimming just feet from shore at Florida beach

A shark was spotted swimming in knee-deep water at Satellite Beach, Florida this week. (Credit: Hannah Wardy)

SATELLITE BEACH, Fla. - New video shows a shark swimming just feet away from the shore at a Florida beach on Wednesday.

Hannah Wardy told FOX 35 she was at Satellite Beach around 10 a.m. when she saw a fin in the water. Video shows the estimated 4-foot shark was swimming around in knee-deep water for a few minutes.

No one was in the water where the shark was spotted at the time.

There has been an increased number of shark sightings this summer along the East Coast, which has been putting beachgoers at risk, and researchers believe they have a reason for the lurking uptick. Chris Fischer, expedition leader at OCEARCH, says that a return of a popular bait fish is the reason for more shark sightings along the coast.

"The real increase in shark sightings is because of the return of the bunker," Fischer tells FOX Weather.

Bunker or menhaden are bait fish rich in oil, and they swim in large schools close to the water's surface during the spring, summer, and fall.

MORE NEWS: Video: Men catch shark at Florida beach, stab it in the head -- here's why it's legal

Bradley Peterson, a professor of marine science at Stony Brook University, suggests avoiding getting in the ocean during the early morning or late evening and staying clear of schools of fish.

"When you see these bunker schools move by, you may just want to, you know, step out of the water and enjoy the view as they go by and then go back in because those sharks are only going to be attracted to their food."