DUNE ALLEN — The sky was clear, and the water was almost as smooth as glass and just as clear. From a tourist perspective, Saturday was a “chamber of commerce” kind of day along Walton County beaches. But what occurred a day prior still echoed through some beachgoers’ minds near Dune Allen.

On Friday, three women were attacked in two separate shark attacks just a few miles to the east of where Debra Wells and her husband set up shop on Saturday. While the events of the day prior were in the back of their minds, the incidents had little to no sway over their feelings about entering the warm Gulf waters.

“Not at all,” said Debra Wells. “We’ve already been in there once and are about to go again. This has been the best (the beach) looked in the two weeks we’ve been there.”

Coverage from the day of the attacks: Three people injured in two shark attacks; beaches closed in Walton County

Coverage from the day after the attacks: Walton County reopens beaches following shark attacks that sent three women to hospitals

The Wells family is on vacation from Biloxi, Mississippi. The most striking thing that stood out to them during their day at the beach Saturday wasn’t the fact that some on the beach did venture out into the Gulf waters, but rather the sheer number of people who were actually at the beach, just enjoying their day.

“For a Saturday, usually it’s packed, but not today,” said Wells.

The topic of conversation then turned to whether they were surprised by the events that occurred the day before. For the longtime Gulf Coast residents, the fact that shark attacks happened wasn’t a shock to them. They echoed comments that Walton County Sheriff Micheal Adkinson Jr. made at a press conference on Friday.

“This is their (sharks’) territory,” said Wells. “Stay around people. Stay near the shore. When you see bait fish moving, get out of the water.

Watch the Friday press conference here.

“I don’t think there’s any reason for people to panic, but it’s hard to feel panic when it looks as nice as it is,” Wells said.

Related coverage: Are beaches open after 2 shark attacks in 1 day in Walton County, Florida? How are victims?

The increased presence of safety responders was felt Saturday, as boats and vehicles from the Walton County Sheriff’s Office and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission could be seen patrolling the beach.

Most people stayed out of the water and enjoyed the sugar-white sand beaches by building sandcastles or sun tanning. Those who did venture into the water didn’t go far, except a family who decided to go out to the first sandbar.

Another family, who only spoke to the Daily News for a bit before theorizing on why the shark attacks happened in the first place, said the attacks altered their beach experience slightly, but not enough to keep them out of the Gulf of Mexico.

“I wouldn’t say it kept us from going in the water, but it kept us from going deeper,” said Tiffany Wash, whose family is on the last day of their vacation from Kentucky. “We didn’t go as far out as yesterday.”

This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: Walton County tourists feel little fear after shark attacks injure 3