A shark and an alligator in the waves of Oak Island as summer heats the ocean

OAK ISLAND, N.C. (WNCN) — As summer begins, some interesting surf spots have recently been spotted on a North Carolina island south of Wilmington.

Oak Island in Brunswick County spans nearly 20 square miles and is home to all kinds of wildlife.

As the Atlantic Ocean warms along Oak Island’s 10 miles of beachfront, a shark was accidentally caught in the surf last week and released.

Sharks are a common species around the 12-mile-long island, where at least one charter operates and takes people out into the ocean to try to catch sharks.

Last Saturday, a fisherman accidentally hooked an 8-foot lemon shark, a species that is not normally aggressive toward humans.

The shark was caught while the June strawberry was visible above the fishing pier. After catching the shark in the waves, the fisherman had a bit of trouble unhooking the fish, before finally letting it go.

And around Memorial Day, a rare alligator was caught on camera on the same Oak Island pier. The alligator — a baby — was spotted in clear, shallow water.

Mary Frances Barnes Rodriguez filmed the alligator swimming and floating in the waves.

Oak Island has already issued shark warnings and uses a purple flag on beaches to inform beachgoers of potential threats posed by the sea creatures.

So far on the North Carolina coast, a 14-year-old boy was bitten by a shark last weekend at North Topsail Beach, north of Wilmington in Onslow County.

Five days before the teen was bitten, there was an initial report of a “shark bite” at Sunset Beach in Brunswick County near the South Carolina border, according to WWAY-TV. Police on the island later said a man was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment after being bitten by a sea creature, but authorities could not confirm it was ‘a shark.