NSB photographer captures photo of a lifetime: shark jumping behind surfers

Photo for Headline Surfer / Kem McNair captures unique pic of a spinner shark in the waters off NewSmyrna Beach.

By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. -- Local photographer and surfer Kem McNair has received worlwide recognition for his July 3 photo of a 5-foot spinner shark that jumped behind two surfers near the South Jetty where 14 of the 15 shark-bite attacks have occurred this year.

The lone bite was by a tiny shark to a child just north of where swimmers normally congregate near the Flagler Avenue approach.

McNair's been profiled on major television, cable and online media outlets such as FOX News and CNN.
 
"The Morning News in New York and as far away as Greece," the 55-year-old New Smyrna Beach resident and local photographer said earlier tonight in a brief interview.
 
"When the water is clear and you ride  wave, you can see them while riding your surf board," said McNair, who counts himself among the surfer crowd.
 
McNair said he was standing in 3 feet of water when he captured the spinner shark with his camera.
 
"We see sharks like that two to three times a day," McNair said. "I shot him in half a second -- three frames. Before I could get him again, he was gone."
 
McNair, a native of Georgia, moved here in 1963, when he was a boy and he's been surfing and taking photos along the surf here for many years. But even he was surprised by what he captured on his lense.
 
He added, "People can't belive a shark can jump out of the water like that, but I've seen it many times."