'He was right in front of me': Myrtle Beach local catches shark on video

Waving her rescue device and blowing a whistle, a lifeguard called swimmers out of the water on Tuesday at Myrtle Beach State Park after a blacktip shark sighting.

Nicki Welch-Hudson, a Myrtle Beach resident, caught the shark on video, which was swimming north. She spotted the blacktip just north of the state park's pier.

"I saw her calling people in and ran up to her to ask what was going on," Welch-Hudson said of the lifeguard waving swimmers to shore. "That’s when she told me about the shark heading north."

Minutes later, Welch-Hudson said the shark swam right by.

"To be honest, I thought it was amazing," Welch-Hudson said, noting she studies marine science at Coastal Carolina University. "I had about five minutes to grab my phone and he was right in front of me. I think it's great for tourists to get an up-close encounter with these amazing species."

She said the sand sharks that feed at the pier are well known, but a blacktip sighting is "awesome."

Hannah Strong: 843-444-1765, @HannahLStrong

This story was originally published June 6, 2018 at 8:43 AM with the headline "'He was right in front of me': Myrtle Beach local catches shark on video."