[Tallguy]

The Bull Shark is probably responsible for more attacks than any other species. It hunts in the surf zone where it 'feels' for it's food in the turbid water. That's were human bathers can be found.

It tends to hit fast & hard and can snap a leg like a matchstick. If that isn't 'aggressive' I don't know what is.

[Tarpon]

The bull shark is one of many that frequent the Florida surf line, the bull shark is just the biggest common shark, but we have a dozen plus species that are regularly seen near the beach and in the shallows. It is common to think any shark is a bull shark when in fact it can be a reef or nurse shark -- all these look very similar. I fish for shark many times a year and catch my share of bull, reef, nurse, spinner, black tip to name a few types. Any can be dangerous and all can inflict a nasty bite. It's only the rare tiger shark and the hammerhead that is a man eater.

The surf around the Gulf coast of Florida is usually crystal clear, unless a storm stirs it up. It's not like the surf you find in Texas which is quite turbid. From the air off Florida beaches you can clearly see the bottom and the sharks in ten feet of water or less. But they aren't aggressive and do not frequently attack swimmers -- you can see them lazily swimming the beach with swimmers nearby, sometimes hilariously close, as condo dwellers will tell you, they do not attack often. I am talking hundreds of them, not just a few. So if they were aggressive attackers of humans there would be plenty of shark attacks daily.

No doubt the bull shark, because of it's numbers and common larger size, bite humans more than the others. I sure wouldn't treat a shark friendly even if I knew it wasn't a bull shark -- that would be a big mistake.

Not a shark expert, I just swim with them and fish for them regularly :) On any given day when I go out in the boat I see a few shark -- they are very common, more so than the tourist bureau would like you to believe.

By all means, tourists should not pet the sharks ;)

[henderson field]

The increasing frequency of shark attacks on humans is due to diminishing baitfish, in turn due to the growing world population.

[rmlew]

Forget Great Whites. Bull sharks are the ones that give me nightmares ever since I came far too close to one in Shinecock bay, Long Island. ( I was getting back into a boat, having fallen over while fishing, when a bull "investigated." Damn thing was as big as the row boat. Still brings shivers. )

These suckers not only hunt in salt water, but prefer brakish water. They are just vicious.
In 1916, there were a series of shark attacks on the New Jersey shore, ending in a horrendous day, July 12th, in Mattawan Creek, miles from the ocean. A boy wimming with his friends was dragged under. A would be rescuer was mortally injured. Finally, upstream, another boy was mauled. http://www.geocities.com/SouthBeach/wharf/4477/jersey.html