Tens of thousands of sharks have been spotted along South Florida’s coast, closing down beaches across the area and forcing swimmers out of the water.

Beachgoers told to stay OUT of the water as tens of thousands of sharks are seen migrating along the Florida coast

PUBLISHED: 17:19 EST, 6 March 2013 | UPDATED: 18:36 EST, 6 March 2013

The sharks are heading north after migrating to the south for the winter in such droves that experts believe swimmers could be within 60 feet of a shark while in the water in the Palm Beach area.

Several beaches have been closed to swimmers as red flags dot the sand.

Craig Pollock, a lifeguard superviser at Midtown Beach, told the Palm Beach Daily News that Tuesday was the the first day he has seen the sharks out in such massive numbers.

Lurking: Sharks can be seen swimming in schools along the south Florida coast as they migrate north

The sharks were spotted just yards off the coast

‘We got here this morning and they were thick, really thick,’ he said on Tuesday. ‘They were frenzied and chasing bait all the way up to shore. They were practically right on the sand.’

Dr. Stephen Kajiura, an associate professor of biology at Florida Atlantic University, researches shark migration and has been monitoring sharks across Palm Beach County since 2011.

‘Coming into March, we’re getting tens of thousands of sharks close to shore,’ he said. ‘In one flight from the Boca Raton Inlet to the Jupiter Inlet, we counted over 15,000 sharks less than 200 yards from shore.

‘That’s 1,000 sharks per square kilometer. If you were a swimmer, you would probably be within 60 feet of a shark.’