As television's "Shark Week" comes to a close, ABC News recalls some of this season's fishiest moments. Shark attacks on human beings are actually very rare, but people are still very afraid of them. From the 2,000 pound great white off the coast of Mexico to the several sightings around Cape Cod, click through to see which sharks have left their marks.
Summer of the Shark
A sand shark made a patch of sand his home for a bit on Aug. 15, when a South Jersey man pulled the seven-footer ashore in Ocean City, N.J.
He released the beast soon after, but not before posing with it for a picture. The man, known by locals as "Shark Tony," according to Philly.com, peruses the waters regularly at dusk. He usually catches smaller fare, but landed a mighty surprise -- a fish so big it took three people to haul it in.
Sand sharks, common near that stretch of beach, usually range from 4 to 6 feet, but can grow as large as 10 feet.
Summer of the Shark
Santa Barbara, California, known for its beautiful beaches and elegant Spanish architecture, made headlines for a nastier reason this summer. Six reports of shark sightings or attacks prompted officials to post signs warning wary swimmers.
A surfer's sighting on Leadbetter Beach, and the discovery of a seal that had apparently been attacked, set Santa Barbara officials on alert. The city said that if there were no more sightings by today, The Santa Barbara Independent reports, signs would come down at sunset. Until then, it said, swimmers beware.
Summer of the Shark
Two bandaged legs are evidence of Chris Myers' nasty battle with a Cape Cod shark. Chris and his teenage son J.J. went for a swim July 30. As they bodysurfed off the coast of Ballston Beach, an unwanted predator tagged along.
"I heard him scream and turned around, and saw the back and the fin of the shark up out of water," J.J. told "Good Morning America." The father and son swam as quickly as possible, but couldn't make it to shore before Chris was attacked. Once they made it to land, they were rushed to the hospital where Chris was treated for his wounds. Experts believe the culprit was most likely a great white.
Summer of the Shark
A 15-foot great white shark mauled 24-year-old surfer Benjamin Linden to death on July 14, a tragedy that affected family, friends and much of Western Australia.
Linden became Western Australia's fifth fatal shark attack victim in 10 months.
Friends gathered to remember him on July 29, taking part in a "paddle out" memorial service at Brighton Beach in Perth, according to the Herald Sun. Bagpipes, flowers and a surfboard signed by friends commemorated the young musician and cabinetmaker.
Summer of the Shark
Most kayakers don't expect to see a dorsal fin, especially not during their first trip out to sea. Walter Szulc Jr. was in for quite the surprise, however, in the waters off Nauset Beach, Mass., near Cape Cod, on July 7.
Szulc made it back to shore safely, but the sighting closed the beach for the remainder of the day. Greg Skomal, a senior biologist at the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, told ABC News the growing seal population off Cape Cod might contribute to the increase in shark sightings.
However, beachgoers don't need to worry, Skomal said.
"Sharks are not there to feed on people; they're there to feed on seals."
Summer of the Shark
A 12-to 14-foot great white greeted California beachgoers and a lifeguard July 2, closing the La Jolla beach for a day.
The lifeguard was on a paddleboard about 50 yards from the lifeguard stand when she caught sight of the great white, KABC-TV reported.
A search for the shark followed, but lifeguards came up empty.
Summer of the Shark
Out to check their load for what they assumed was a routine catch, two Mexican fishermen were shocked when they realized a 2,000 pound great white shark had gotten caught in their nets April 15.
It took an hour to haul the load back to shore, Pisces Fleet reported.
"We were amazed and immediately realized that we had a huge, dead, great white shark and then we thought, 'What are we going to do?'" one fisherman told Pisces Sportfishing's Tracy Ehrenberg.
The shark was almost 20 feet long, large even for a great white.
Summer of the Shark
Joshua Holley, 28, was surfing on April 3 at his favorite spot off the coast of Oahu, on Hawaii's North Shore, when he felt a push on the left side of his body.
"I looked to my left and I saw this really big dorsal fin," Holley told ABC News.
Holley punched the shark twice, but not before the shark severed two of his tendons. The cuts required 42 stitches, but the shark did not bite any major arteries, Holley said.
Holley said he's not mad at what he believes was a 10-foot tiger shark.
"He's just doing what he does. I'll definitely be back" in the water, he said.
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