Thursday, June 29, 2006

INJURED -- 24 June 2006 -- Mangrove Cay, Andros, Bahamas -- diver attacked

Fisherman Whitefield Rolle, 25, lost his right arm when he was attacked by a shark while spear fishing at Mangrove Cay, Andros, Bahamas. The attack occurred around 1pm on Saturday 24 June, according to a brief report in the Nassua Guardian on 28 June.

Sergeant David Thompson of the Police Station was quoted as saying Rolle had “speared a snapper and went to retrieve it. And while doing that a shark passed at the same time and caught him in the right arm."

Rolle was airlifted into New Providence hospital in Nassau around 4 pm that afternoon.

Sergeant Thompson told the newspaper that the attack was the first of its kind to occur in the Mangrove Cay fishing community to his knowledge.

No further details about the nature of the attack, Rolle's condition -- whether his arm was severed in the attack or whether it had to be amputated -- or size and species of the shark were reported.

Sources:
Nassau Guardian

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

INJURED -- 27 June 2006 -- Hutchinson Island, Florida, US -- boogie boarder attacked

Nine-year-old Juliette Shipp was bitten on the right calf while standing in two to three foot of water with her boogie board off Hutchinson Island, off the Atlantic coast of Florida.

According to media witnesses said quite a chunk was taken out of her calf, however Audria Moore, a police spokeswoman told The Times: “She’s going to be fine. She will need some stitches. She’s not losing her leg. It’s still intact.”

The attack took place about 11am on Tuesday 27 June. The size and type of shark was not reported.

The girl’s mother told CBS4 News she was on a raft in deeper water at the time of the attack. She heard her daughter scream and then when she lifted up her leg up she saw the wound. She went over and grabbed her daughter and took her to the beach.

The girl was admitted to Lawnwood Medical Centre where she was to undergo surgery.

Sources:
The Times online
CBS4 News

Monday, June 19, 2006

FATAL -- 18 June 2006 -- Olinda, Brazil -- surfer attacked

Humberto Pessoa Batista, 27, died from blood loss after being attacked by a shark while surfing at a beach in the city of Olinda in North East Brazil. Olinda is just north of Recife.

Bastista was surfing with around 30 other surfers about 15 metres from the beach when he was bitten on the left thigh. The bite ruptured his femoral artery and he died of blood loss as rescue workers tried to take him to hospital.

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

According to media Batista's death was the 18th since 1992 caused by shark attacks in the area. Surfing has traditionally been banned in the area due to the high concentration of sharks attracted to waters off Recife by a large coral reef where they feed, but authorities had lifted the restriction this year because few sharks had been sighted.

Sources: Associated Press via Yahoo News

Sunday, June 18, 2006

INJURED -- 16 June 2006 -- New Smyrna Beach, Volusia County, Florida, US -- surfer attacked

A 24-year-old surfer suffered minor cuts from a shark bite while wading in four feet of murky water at New Smyrna Beach, Volusia County, Florida, Beach on Thursday 15 June, Beach Patrol officials told media.

Mike Milea was wading just south of the jetty at Ponce de Leon Inlet around 3:30 pm when he felt something grabbing at his left ankle.

He was treated on the beach for three or four puncture wounds on his foot, each less than an inch long. Beach Patrol officials said the injury was "very minor" and that Milea refused transport to the hospital.

The size and type of shark were not reported.

According to Beach Patrol spokesman Scott Petersohn - most of Volusia County's shark bites occur at New Smyrna Beach. Its waters aren't known for the aggressive bull sharks like the Gulf of Mexico, Petersohn said. Most Volusia County victims are bitten by smaller, juvenile blacktip and spinner sharks that mistake hands and feet for bait fish.

Sources:
Orlando Sentinel

Sunday, June 11, 2006

New hammerhead shark discovered


A new type of hammerhead shark has been discovered in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean, the BBC online quotes marine scientists as saying.

The shark resembles a common species called the scalloped hammerhead but has not yet been classified or named.

US researchers say the animal appears to be rare, breeding only in waters off the South Carolina coast.

They believe the shark is at risk of extinction and conservation efforts are needed to protect females when they are raising their pups.

More from BBC online…

INJURED - 31 May 2006 - Marijuanas, North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii - diver attacked

Ronald Deguilmo, 26, was free diving at the surf spot Marijuanas (near Chun’s Reef ) on the North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii when he was attacked and bitten on the left arm by a shark. The incident took place at about 1.30pm on Wednesday, 31 May 2006.

Deguilmo hit the shark with the butt of his speargun before it released its grip on his arm.

Two friends who were diving with him -- James Santiago, 24, and Tommy Miller, 29 -- came to his rescue after he surfaced shouting: “I got hit! I got bit by a shark!”

Santiago told media: "We started swimming toward him and tried not to panic."

He said Deguilmo’s arm looked “pretty bad. It was pretty bloody. It was deep.”

"He told us that he hit it when the shark was tugging at his arm," Santiago was quoted in the press as saying. "When he hit it, it let him go."

The two friends supported Deguilmo on the way back to shore keeping a lookout in case the shark returned, but they never saw it.

Deguilmo was taken to Wahiawa General Hospital and then transferred to St Francis Medical Center West.

According to his brother, Noel Deguilmo, doctors said he would recover but he might not have all the feeling in his fingers.

The size and type of shark was not established.

Sources: The Honolulu Advertiser

INJURED - 7 June 2006 - Coligny Beach, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, US - wader attacked

A 7-year-old girl was bitten on the left foot and buttocks while wading in two feet of water at Coligny Beach, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, US. The incident took place on Wednesday afternoon, 7 June 2006.

Her father took her from the water to lifeguards on the beach who treated the lacerations on her foot.

Ralph Wagner, director of Shore Beach Service, told media the incident was low-key.

An ambulance was called and took the girl to Hilton Head Regional Medical Center, where she continued to receive treatment. The doctor treating the girl found a tooth embedded in her left foot. The injury was not life-threatening.

The name of the girl was not mentioned in media reports. The type and size of the shark was not established.

Sources:
The Beaufort Gazette