Imagine surfing in an area known as the "shark bite capital of the world," and coming across an eight-foot-tall, 10-to-12-foot-long hammerhead shark.
That is what happened in New Smyrna Beach, near the jetty, when two artists placed their sculpture in the ocean.
The sculpture, named "Mona Kahi Kahi," is made of foam and fiberglass, and it floats.
There have been 17 shark bites in Volusia County in the last year. Many of the victims were surfers.
Husband and wife artists David and Aaron Lee wanted to do away with myths that portray sharks as dangerous marine life.
"Awareness in all levels that the marine enviroment is so fragile. Sharks are there. That's where they live; that's their home," Aaron Lee said. "We're out there surfing and playing around, and they're not there to hunt us."
Many of the shark bites in the last year were minor.
Beach Patrol officials said those bites were a case of mistaken identity, when the shark mistook body parts, like hands and feet, for baitfish.