Surfer Tom Larson suffered minor cuts when a shark bit him twice on his foot while he was surfing around 8pm on the Oregon Coast.
The attack took place while he was surfing with friends at South Jetty, Florence.
Paramedics were quoted as saying the wounds were minor -- (he had eight holes in his foot and received 35 stitches) -- and that he was treated and released from Peace Harbor Hospital the same night.
Larson told KGW news: "It felt like a vise, or a bear trap even, right on my foot, and he started shaking it, and I knew it was a shark by then, so I started screaming, ‘shark!’ as loud as I could, because my friends were in the water, and I wanted them to get out.”
He said he beat the shark with his board until it let go and then he paddled to shore.
Larson said he didn’t feel pain: “I mean, the fear and the adrenaline was amazing because you see that fin, I didn't see his face but I saw that fin, so I knew what was happening, and every surfer dreads that.”
No other details were reported.
Sources:
KVAL 13 News
KGW
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
FATAL -- 20 August 2006 -- Pointe du Diable, Reunion -- surfer attacked
Surfer Sebastien Emond, 34, died in hospital after having his arm ripped off by a shark while surfing at Pointe du Diable (Devil's Point) in the south of Reunion, a French Territory island in the Indian Ocean near Madagascar.
The attacked took place on Sunday 20 August. The time of attack was not reported.
His surfing companions managed to drag him 100 metres to shore. He was bleeding profusely from the wound and lost consciousness from blood loss. Paramedics managed to keep him alive as they took him to hospital in the nearest town, St Pierre. He died during surgery late Sunday.
Water sports are banned at Pointe du Diable due to the number of shark sightings. However, surfers ignore the ban to surf the large waves at the point, according to media.
Bull sharks and Tiger sharks are the two most common sharks involved in attacks at Reunion. La Reunion's marine observatory has recorded 24 shark attacks off the island's shores since 1980, 13 of which have been fatal.
Sources:
The Raw Story
News.com.au
IOL
The attacked took place on Sunday 20 August. The time of attack was not reported.
His surfing companions managed to drag him 100 metres to shore. He was bleeding profusely from the wound and lost consciousness from blood loss. Paramedics managed to keep him alive as they took him to hospital in the nearest town, St Pierre. He died during surgery late Sunday.
Water sports are banned at Pointe du Diable due to the number of shark sightings. However, surfers ignore the ban to surf the large waves at the point, according to media.
Bull sharks and Tiger sharks are the two most common sharks involved in attacks at Reunion. La Reunion's marine observatory has recorded 24 shark attacks off the island's shores since 1980, 13 of which have been fatal.
Sources:
The Raw Story
News.com.au
IOL
Monday, August 21, 2006
INJURED -- <16 August 2006 -- North Coast, Oregon, US -- surfer attacked
A brief report appeared on KREM 2 News on 16 August saying a surfer, Bob Martin, of Liberty Lake, was on the mend of after being bitten “three weeks ago” on the thigh while surfing “about a thousand feet offshore”.
The report said he was bitten by a Great White on the north coast of Oregon. The exact site and time and date of the attack is not reported.
According to the report rangers on the beach said it was the second shark attack of the summer. There were no further details.
KREM quotes Martin as saying: "I was paddling, catching a wave, moved up on the board and something hit me from behind." He said he never saw the shark.
There were no other details in the report.
Source:KREM
The report said he was bitten by a Great White on the north coast of Oregon. The exact site and time and date of the attack is not reported.
According to the report rangers on the beach said it was the second shark attack of the summer. There were no further details.
KREM quotes Martin as saying: "I was paddling, catching a wave, moved up on the board and something hit me from behind." He said he never saw the shark.
There were no other details in the report.
Source:KREM
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
DESCRIBED -- Lifeguard tells his story of shark attack
False Bay, South Africa, lifeguard Achmat Hassiem, 24, lost his right foot when it was bitten off by a shark, presumably a Great White, while he was doing lifeguard training in False Bay on Sunday 13 August. He recounted the attack from his his hospital bed.
Hassiem and his brother Taariq, 17, were in the water acting as patients while other lifeguards were in a nearby boat about 200 metres offshore.
Hassiem said he saw the shark’s fine slicing through the water towards his younger brother.
From his hospital bed Hassiem recounted the attack. The following excerpt was reported by IOL.
Hassiem and his brother Taariq, 17, were in the water acting as patients while other lifeguards were in a nearby boat about 200 metres offshore.
Hassiem said he saw the shark’s fine slicing through the water towards his younger brother.
From his hospital bed Hassiem recounted the attack. The following excerpt was reported by IOL.
Source: IOL“It was going for my brother. I shouted: 'Taariq! Shark!' and then started splashing about in the water so that I would attract the shark to me.
"The shark turned around and came towards me. It grabbed my ankle and shook me, then pulled me under water. I thought the game was over. But as I went down, I told myself, 'No, you're not going to die now', and I started kicking it.
"It had my right leg and I kicked at its head with my left leg.
"I don't know how many times I kicked it, maybe four times. But I needed to get breath, I could feel I had already taken in seawater. And then it let go.
"As I came up I saw my brother's hand in the water and grabbed it.
"I looked back and saw the shark coming towards me for a second time, but the guys in the boat pulled me in before he got to me. They saved my life.
"I don't know how to describe what it was like."You don't feel pain. It had my leg in its mouth but I did not feel pain. It was just, I don't know, just this brute power, this massive brute force against me, against nothing.
"I want to go back [to being a lifeguard]. I'm being as brave as I can. But I struggle to sleep. Every time I close my eyes I see it all again, every detail."
Monday, August 14, 2006
INJURED -- 13 August 2006 -- Muizenberg, Cape Town, South Africa -- lifeguard attacked
Lifeguard Achmat Hassiem, 24, had his foot bitten off, by what is believed to be a Great White while doing lifeguard training about 200 metres from shore at Sunrise Beach, Muizenberg, False Bay, Cape Town, South Africa.
The attack occurred around 11am on Sunday 13 August.
According to media reports Hassiem was training with other lifeguards including his brother Taariq, 17.
They were alone together in deep water, acting as "patients" for three lifesavers in a boat, when Achmat saw the shark heading for Taariq.
Media reports quoted Taariq as saying his brother was the first to see the shark and shouted: “Taariq shark!”
Taariq was hauled into the lifesavers boat, then the shark headed for Achmat, who disappeared beneath the water.
Seeing a dark patch, Taariq reached in to grab his brother, not knowing if the shark would bite him.
Taariq said that Achmat was pulled into the boat, his leg "dripping with blood", but instead of swimming away, "the shark actually turned around and came for us again".
"It actually knocked the boat quite hard, but there were five of us so it couldn't knock it over."
They got Achmat ashore where he was treated by lifesaver medics who controlled the bleeding, elevated his leg and stabilised his condition.
Achmat was airlifted to Constantiaberg Medi-Clinic by Metro Red Cross AMS helicopter.
Hospital officials said he was recovering in ICU after surgery and was in a stable condition.
False Bay is renowned as a Great White breeding ground. On 28 July a lifeguard’s surf-ski was attacked by 3.5-4 metre Great White in False Bay.
Sources:
News24
Wavescape
Pic Credit:
Steve Pike, Wavescape
FRIGHTENED -- 28 July 2006 -- Fish Hoek, Cape Town, South Africa -- lifeguard’s surf-ski attacked
Lyle Maasdorp, 19, was paddling his surf-ski past Fish Hoek Point at Sunny Cove, False Bay, Cape Town, South Africa, after launching from Fish Hoek beach when a shark attacked and bit the back end of his surf ski.
The attack took place on Friday 28 July (time of attack not reported). According to the report on News24 Allison Kock of the shark-working group interviewed Lyle and investigated the bite marks on the surf-ski and estimated that the shark was a great white, approximately 3.5m to 4m in length.
According to the report Lyle said he felt the back of his surf-ski lifting out of the water and he heard a crunching sound. He fell off his surf-ski and realised it was a shark when his hand landed on the shark’s back. He stayed with his surf-ski and then abandoned it after a another paddler helped him onto the back of his surf-ski and paddled him to nearby rocks where they got out of the water.
Lyle was shaken but uninjured.
Source: News24
The attack took place on Friday 28 July (time of attack not reported). According to the report on News24 Allison Kock of the shark-working group interviewed Lyle and investigated the bite marks on the surf-ski and estimated that the shark was a great white, approximately 3.5m to 4m in length.
According to the report Lyle said he felt the back of his surf-ski lifting out of the water and he heard a crunching sound. He fell off his surf-ski and realised it was a shark when his hand landed on the shark’s back. He stayed with his surf-ski and then abandoned it after a another paddler helped him onto the back of his surf-ski and paddled him to nearby rocks where they got out of the water.
Lyle was shaken but uninjured.
Source: News24
INJURED -- 29 July 2006 -- Playalinda Beach, Florida, US -- surfer attacked
Matt Wishengrad, 15, was bitten on the foot while surfing at Playalinda Beach, Florida, US on Saturday, 29 July.
The brief report on WFTV said Matt was trying out his new surfboard when the shark bit down hard on his foot. When the shark let go, Wishengrad swam as fast as he could for the beach.
"I paddled back and, as I looked behind me and saw a trail of blood, I was like, hope another shark doesn't come and get me," he said.
He required a lot of stitches to close up the shark bite, according to WFTV.
No other details were reported.
Source: WFTV
The brief report on WFTV said Matt was trying out his new surfboard when the shark bit down hard on his foot. When the shark let go, Wishengrad swam as fast as he could for the beach.
"I paddled back and, as I looked behind me and saw a trail of blood, I was like, hope another shark doesn't come and get me," he said.
He required a lot of stitches to close up the shark bite, according to WFTV.
No other details were reported.
Source: WFTV
INJURED -- < 24 July 2006 -- Sargent Beach, Matagorda County, Texas, US – fisherman attacked
R.K. Halbert was bitten on his right ankle while fishing from the beach at Sargent Beach in Matagorda County, Texas, US. The KHOU report follows his admittance on 24 July to CyFair Medical Center for an infection in his foot caused by the bite. The date of the attack is not mentioned.
Halbert told KHOU: "I had the rod over my shoulder and I was dragging bait behind me. Probably smelled the bait, came from behind, smelled the bait and hit my foot,
"He grabbed me, jerked me for a minute, pulled me backwards and then let go. It felt like a bear trap closing in on my foot."
The shark -- believed to be a bull shark about 4 or 5 feet long -- bit Halbert just above his right ankle.
It tore a hole through his wading bootie and almost knocked him down.
"[It] wasn't his fault it was my fault. You are no longer the top of the food chain when you're in the water," said Halbert.
Sources: KHOU
Halbert told KHOU: "I had the rod over my shoulder and I was dragging bait behind me. Probably smelled the bait, came from behind, smelled the bait and hit my foot,
"He grabbed me, jerked me for a minute, pulled me backwards and then let go. It felt like a bear trap closing in on my foot."
The shark -- believed to be a bull shark about 4 or 5 feet long -- bit Halbert just above his right ankle.
It tore a hole through his wading bootie and almost knocked him down.
"[It] wasn't his fault it was my fault. You are no longer the top of the food chain when you're in the water," said Halbert.
Sources: KHOU
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