INJURED -- 17 July 2006 -- Singleton Beach, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, US -- wader attacked

Dallas Jackson claims he was bitten on the leg by a shark in chest deep water at Singleton Beach, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, US.

The incident occurred about 10am local time while Jackson was watching his wife and young son boogie boarding.

"I just felt a very large, almost like a baseball bat, hitting me in the leg," Jackson told media. "It was really hard. It kind of knocked me off balance, and I felt a little bit of a tug at the same time.

"The first thing that went through my mind was, `I just got bit by a shark.' "

Jackson waded to shore and wrapped the wound in a towel. His family drove him to hospital. The wound required around 12 stitches.

Media said that authorities were still to confirm whether the wound was caused by shark, but quoted Jackson as saying he was in no doubt going by the puncture wounds, blood and the flap of skin hanging from his leg when made it to the beach.

No other details -- Jackson’s age, the name of the hospital, the type of shark -- were reported.

Source:
Charlotte Observer

INJURED -- 4 (??) July 2006 -- Florida Keys, US -- spear fisher attacked

A report by AFP on 18 July refers to a shark attack “two weeks ago” on the sister, Bebe, of Gary Hall, an Olympic Gold Medallist swimmer. The two were spearfising in the Florida Keys when the incident happened.

Bebe, 28, and Hall fought off the shark, but not before it had bitten Bebe on the arm, which required 19 stitches. Hall was uninjured in the attack. Bebe managed to shoot the shark in the mouth with her speargun before it left the two alone.

According to the report: the Halls were spear fishing about 200 metres from their boat and spotted a shark. They started swimming back to their boat when a 1.8 metre black tip reef shark attacked.

"Another shark larger than the first one we saw came in from the side and bit (Bebe) on the arm," Hall said. "I didn't realise she had been bit before the shark was on me.

"It was swimming after me and thrashing and had its back arched in a frenzy mode. I kept punching it in the nose and kicking it and it kept coming after me.

"I was eventually able to get underneath it and roll it off of me. That's when it charged toward my sister.

"She had already been bit, but in the meantime she had enough sense to load the spear.

"The shark charged her with its mouth open and she shot it."

The shark swam away and they managed to get back to the boat where Hall fashioned a tourniquet for Bebe's arm.

"It was definitely a shot of adrenaline," Hall said. "I don't know what my split was for the 50 metres, but I am sure I haven't swam that fast in years."

Sources:
Yahoo News

INJURED -- 12 July 2006 -- Kiawah Island, South Carolina, US -- swimmer attacked

A very brief news report says a 21-year-old woman was bitten on the ankle by a shark while swimming off a private beach on Kiawah Island, South Carolina, US, on Wednesday12 July 2006. Another report on the Kiawah Island website says she was transported to hospital around 1.30pm local time. She was reportedly taken to nearby Roper St Francis Hospital in good condition.

This is the second shark attack in South Carolina in a week. There was an attack in DeBordieu on 8 July.

No other details were available at the time of this blog.

Sources:
ABC News Charleston

Kiawah Island website news

INJURED -- 9 July 2006 -- New Smyrna Beach, Volusia County, Florida, US -- swimmer attacked

A 40-year-old New York man (name not reported) was bitten on the top of his left foot in waist-deep water near the jetty at New Smyrna Beach, Volusia County, Florida, US, around 5pm local time on Sunday 9 July.

Officials told the media the injury was minor and the man did not require medical treatment.

A beach patrol officer said the man had two small cuts on the top of his foot.

No other details for were available at the time of this blog.

Sources:
First Coast News

INJURED - 8 July 2006 -- Debordieu, Georgetown County, South Carolina, US -- surfer attacked

Caelin Lacy, 14, was bitten on the left foot by a shark while surfing in chest deep water off the north end of Debordieu, near Pawleys Island, Georgetown Country, South Carolina, US.

The attack took place after 11am local time on Saturday 8 July.

Reports differ on the type of shark believed responsible for the attack. One quotes Caelin as saying it was a Bull shark that bit her. Another report quotes her as saying it was a 5-6 foot spinner shark.

Caelin told WIS 10 TV she was surifng on her Boogie board about 25 feet from the beach.

"A group of bait fish had swum in around me, and I hadn't seen them, and a bunch of sharks did too, a pack. They were feeding."

She said that at one point there were 20 fins surrounding her.

"I looked behind me and something had grabbed hold of my foot, it was a six-foot bull shark. And it tore up my foot, but it didn't thrash or anything. I kicked it with my right foot, and it let go immediately."

"When I first got bit, it didn't hurt because it hadn't really clicked yet, didn't seem real. Then when I looked back at my foot, all the blood in the water, I started screaming and I freaked out. Then I blacked out and the next thing I remember was being on the sand."

Caelin was quoted by The Sun News’ Myrtle Beach Online as saying she had just caught a wave, "another good wave was coming and I started kicking. All of a sudden, I turned around and something had grabbed hold of my foot."

With her free foot, she kicked the shark - which she identified as a 5- to 6-foot-long spinner shark - and screamed for help, the report said.

Her mother, Janice Lacy, and an unidentified man, ran from the beach to rescue her. "It seemed like miles to me at the time," said her mother. "When I got to her there were fins all around her. She was in the middle of a school of fish."

Lacy told the media how her daughter reached out to her for help. She said the uncertain rescue the most horrifying moment of her life.

"I just grabbed her by the wrist and pulled to just yank her to me," she said. "I didn’t know what part of her was going to come with me when I yanked, when I pulled her out. That was the moment that I will never forget."

Doctors who were on the beach at the time helped stop the bleeding. She was taken to Georgetown Memorial Hospital.

The shark bite severed three tendons, the most important one was only half torn meaning she was likely to make a full recovery. Caelin said doctors had told her she would require around 70 stitches.

"You're more likely to be struck by lightening than you are to be attacked by sharks," Caelin told the the media. "I can't let this keep me out of the water."

Sources:
Myrtle Beach Online

WIS 10 TV


image source

INJURED -- 9 July 2006 -- Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, US -- wader attacked

A very brief report from First Coast News says an 11-year-old boy was bitten on the leg in knee-deep water on Sunday, 9 July, at Ponte Vedra Beach, on the Atlantic coast of Florida, US.

The report said the boy was taken to Baptist Hospital South, Jacksonville, with non-life threatening injuries.

No further details or reports were available at the time of this blog.

Resources:
First Coast News

INJURED -- 8 July 2006 -- Playalinda Beach, Canaveral National Seashore, Florida, US -- swimmer attacked

A teenage boy (either 13 or 14) was bitten on the left calf by a shark while swimming off Playalinda Beach at Canaveral National Seashore, Florida, US on Saturday 8 July.

The boy was not identified.

The attack took place around 1pm while he was swimming with his mother. She told media she saw her boy being pulled under the water up to his neck then heard him scream.

The boy was taken to Parrish Medical Center in Titusville by ambulance and then airlifted to Orlando’s Arnold Palmer (Hospital for Women and Children) in stable condition.

There were no other details available at he time of this blog.

Sources:
Orlando Sentinel
Florida Today