Viral Video of Shark Caught in Guadalupe River Alarms Tubers

NEW BRAUNFELS - A viral video on TikTok of a Texas man catching a bull shark in the Guadalupe River raised concerns with tubers in New Braunfels.  

The 230-mile-long Guadalupe River is a popular tubing destination that stretches from the Texas coast to the Hill Country. However, TikTok user Jonathanaguayo5 shared no information regarding where the shark was caught along the river.

This led to the City of New Braunfels taking to social media to debunk sharks in the river. 

"Despite recent social media posts warning tubers about a shark being caught in 'the Guadalupe River,' there have been no reports of sharks in the relatively shallow freshwater of the Guadalupe River in New Braunfels," the city stated. "The Guadalupe River is actually about 230 miles long, stretching from Kerr County to the Gulf of Mexico and there are 6 hydroelectric dams along the river between New Braunfels and the coast. Although it is 'technically' possible for bull sharks to swim in freshwater, there are very likely no sharks in the rivers in New Braunfels…probably…"

According to the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD), bull sharks are common off the Texas coast. Unlike most sharks, they can live in fresh and saltwater and have been found many miles upriver from the Gulf of Mexico.

TPWD also states that bull sharks have been found as far inland as Iowa in the Mississippi River.