Experts are raising awareness about shark behavior and what to look out for after the last serious shark attack that happened on the Fourth of July at South Padre Island last year.

They say sharks are not looking to attack people, but bites occur when people and sharks get close. They say sharks are out there, and it's important to understand their behavior.

Sharks will be in their normal habitat in the water this holiday weekend, and it's important for anyone heading to the shore to keep in mind.

People at the north end of the island, sharks aren't something to avoid, it's something they're looking for.

"Typically, fish are after the bait and sharks are after the fish," Prodigy Fishing owner Joel Ibarra said.

Ibarra said he's been doing this since he was a kid. He runs anchored fishing poles with heavy-duty lines. From where they are on land, they're able to catch hammerheads and tiger sharks around 10-feet long.

"They fascinate me. The power that they have behind them and bringing them up close and, for the most part, when they swim away is always the best part," Ibarra said.

The coastal waters of the Rio Grande Valley are home to bull sharks, which are associated with the most frequent bites, in human shark interactions.

On Fourth of July 2024, beach goers were stunned as authorities responded to a major shark attack in which a woman lost a portion of her leg.

Experts say the more people there are in the water, the more likely someone is going to encounter a shark.

Warm temperatures increase the odds as well.

"Sharks tend to migrate to coastal areas such as South Padre Island during the summertime because the waters are warming up and there's an abundant food supply for them," Gladys Porter Zoo Head Aquarist Karin Flores said.

Flores tends to the aquarium exhibit's nurse sharks, which are not the species associated with shark attacks.

She says sharks get into the shallow waters in search of fish to eat. The deep areas between the sandbars work as coastal highways for all fish.

The waves break between sandbars where it gets deeper. That's where the fish roam, and that's where the sharks roam as well.

"Typically on those drop-offs is where the sharks are going to be in those deeper parts of the water," Ibarra said.

Anyone who gets into the water this holiday weekend should know they're in a shark habitat and should avoid being around fishermen who have bait in the water.

"If you plan on swimming, I suggest swimming in groups. Sharks or other predators, they tend to stay away from other large groups," Flores said.

Also, avoid wearing jewelry that can shine in the water, resembling fish scales.

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