When we think of the beach, we think of fun and a place to cool off from the summer heat, but sometimes those moments can be soured by an uninvited guest.
"Whenever we enter the ocean, we are entering those animals' homes, not the other way around," says Andrew Nerness, a curator at Sea Life Orlando.
He said that in most cases, when there's a shark attack that involves a human -- for example when a surfer is bitten -- it's a case of mistaken identity.
[READ: Florida swimmers: Here's how to avoid shark bites]
"When you're surfing above the water, you're replicating a silhouette of maybe something like a seal or a smaller animal that might be on that shark's menu," said Nerness, who's been working at Sea Life for several years.
He said that once the shark realizes what it encountered, it usually swims away.
"The unfortunate thing, however, is the only way that a shark can explore something is with its mouth. Sharks are very instinctual animals, and they're going to only look for something that's on their menu," Nerness said.
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We've recently seen instances of sharks biting humans.
In May, a teenager was bitten by a shark in Cocoa Beach and then a video posted on social media from July 2 showed a girl being treated by medical personnel after a shark bit her leg.
Although in Florida these types of incidents seem common, Nerness assures us these predators are not on the hunt for human flesh. Their diet includes eating species from their own habitat, like fish and squid.
Nerness also said that sharks are wild animals, therefore capable of wild behavior, so it's best not to try to take a picture or a selfie with one of these creatures.