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INJURED – 20 December 2009 – Lamont Reef, Heron Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia – snorkeller attacked

A 19-year-old snorkeller, (name nor released), was bitten on the arm by a shark while diving at Lamont Reef off Heron Island in the Great Barrier Reef, Australia.

The incident happened around 7.45am on Sunday 20 December 2009.

A brief report noted he was taken to shore by dinghy and flown to Rockhampton Base Hospital and from there he was flown to Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital where he was reported in stable condition.

There was no report of the extent of his wounds or what type of shark was responsible for the attack.

Sources:
News.com

UPDATE – 21 December 2009

The victim’s name is John Pengelly. His left hand and lower forearm were badly injured including severed tendons, arteries and bone damage. He lost a lot of blood and needed a transfusion during transport Rockhampton Base Hospital to Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital.

The shark was thought to be a 3-metre bull shark.

Source:
Brisbane Times

PIC source:
CDNN

FATAL – 18 December 2009 – 2nd Beach, Port St Johns, Transkei, South Africa – lifeguard attacked

A 22-year-old lifeguard (name withheld) was attacked and killed by a shark while on his paddle board in murky waters off 2nd Beach, Port St Johns, East Coast, South Africa.

A National Sea Rescue Institute spokesperson said he was seen lifting his hands in the air before being pulled off his paddle board. Other witnesses on the beach said he was then mauled to death by the shark as the sea turned red around him. No remains have been found.

The incident occurred around midday on Friday 18 December 2009.

Not other details were reported at the time of this blog.

Sources:
Daily Dispatch
Sunday Times

INJURED – 13 December 2009 – Evans Heads, NSW, Australia – surfer attacked

Nigel Hughes, 39, was bitten on the left foot by a shark while surfing at Evans Heads, NSW, Australia. The incident took place on Sunday 13 December 2009.

He told media: “I got on a wave and was paddling to catch it when it hit me like a baseball bat to the foot.

“I was able to catch a wave in and looked back to see if my foot was still there - luckily, it was.”

He managed to limp up the beach with his left toe half hanging off. Friends wrapped the wound in a towel and took him to Lismore Base Hospital where he underwent surgery.

He said doctors told him his foot was quite mangled but they managed to sew it up.

“It was only my second surf of the holiday, so I wasn't happy,” he quipped.

Sources:
News.com

INJURED – 24 November 2009 – Cocoa Beach, Florida, US – swimmer attacked

A 10-year-old boy, Garrett Gollihugh, suffered injuries to his leg and ankle after being bitten twice by a shark in shallow waters off Cocoa Beach, Florida, US. The incident happened on Tuesday morning 24 November 2009, the day before his 11th birthday.

“It felt like glass scraping my foot, really,” Garrett told media. “It hurt a lot.”

Rescue officials said he managed to wade ashore by himself after being bitten. On the beach his father wrapped the wound in a towel, while his sister called paramedics. He was taken by ambulance to Cape Canaveral Hospital for stitches. His injuries were not life-threatening.

Officials said, judging by the size of the bite, it was probably a 2-3 foot shark.

Sources:
CFN13
JustNews.com

PIC source:
CFN13

INJURED – 16 November 2009 – Jupiter Island, Florida, US – surfer attacked

Lifeguard Steve Burdelski, 22, was bitten on the right foot while surfing near the Jupiter Island Beach Club, Florida, US, early morning on Monday 16 November. Reports say he managed to swim back to shore and call for help. He was taken to Jupiter hospital and reportedly in a stable condition.

No other details, such the type of shark or extent of the wound, were reported.

Sources:
Miami Herald

INJURED – 13 November 2009 – Jupiter, Florida, US – surfer attacked

Melissa Hardcastle, 27, suffered minor injuries when she was bitten by a shark on the foot while surfing near Carlin Park, Jupiter, Florida, US.

The incident happened about 5pm on Friday 13 November 2009.

According to the girl’s mother and witnesses she was riding a wave when she was bitten on the foot. She managed to stay on her board and paddle to the beach from where she was taken to Jupiter Medical Center. She underwent minor surgery to clean the wound.

Hardcastle said she never saw the shark. The size and species are unknown.

No other details were reported.

Sources:
CBS12

INJURED – 11 November 2009 – New Smyrna Beach, Florida, US – surfer attacked

An 18-year-old surfer (name not released) suffered minor injuries when a 4-foor shark bitten bumped him on the shin and bit him on the back of the calf and the front of the shin.

The incident occurred on Wednesday 11 November 2009.

He was treated on the beach by lifeguards and friends drove him to hospital.

No other details were reported.

Sources:
AP

INJURED – 8 November 2009 – Second Valley, south of Adelaide, Australia – diver attacked

Dean Brougham, 25, received minor injuries to his hand and leg when he was bitten by a shark while spear fishing at Second Valley, south of Adelaide, Australia. The incident happened on Sunday 8 November 2009.

He told media he had been in the water just seven minutes when the shark latched onto his leg. He said he punched the shark repeatedly before it released him and swam away.

“I came up, as soon as I got to the surface I felt someone, something pulling my leg and I thought it was just someone being a smart arse, and I turned around and just saw the big face looking at me.

“It was unimaginable, just freaky, just seeing this big monster’s head just looking at you.

“I just started beating it, just trying to get rid of it, and then it let me go and then I was just straight towards the cliffs.

“I can’t believe first of all I got attacked by a shark, I can’t believe second of all that I got out of the water, and I can’t believe that I've still got everything attached.”

Brougham was recovering in Adelaide’s Flinders Medical Centre.

He said he thought the shark may have been a white pointer.

Sources:
ABC

INJURED – 19 October 2009 – Kalama Bowls, Maui, Hawaii – surfer attacked

Scott Henrich, 54, suffered deep lacerations on the front of his upper right thigh and the lower part of his right ankle was bitten by what is believed to be a 6-8 foot tiger shark while surfing at Kalama Bowls, south Maui. The attack happened before dawn on Monday 19 October.

Henrich said he did not know what kind of shark bit him or its length, but it “was big enough”. He said its head was about 2 feet wide.

Henrich said he was only in the water two to three minutes a little after 6am and was about 100 metres offshore when the shark bit him. It clamped down on his right thigh and knee and part of his surfboard.

“I hit it a couple of times on top of the nose, and it swam away,” Henrich said.

A man on a surf ski helped him to shore where he managed to flag down the driver of a passing car who called 911. Bystanders wrapped his wound with t-shirts to stem the bleeding.

“You're out there in the food chain, and sooner or later like anything, your number’s up,” he said. “I’m not going to hold it against the shark. It's just bad luck. ... I was in the wrong spot. I was in his breakfast area.”

“The radius of the shark bite was 25 inches, so the bite marks are consistent with a possible tiger shark,” Archie Kalepa, ocean safety supervisor on Maui, told media.

He said there was only one other person out with him, a man on a surf ski. Henrich was sitting on his board, waiting to catch his first wave, when the shark hit.

“Its head came up and he was on me. I never saw it coming,” he said.

Henrich punched the shark on the snout and it released its grip and swam away. He all he could think about at that point was survival.

“There was blood everywhere. I looked at the top gash and saw white meat and I knew it was bad. I was worried there might be other sharks around, and I knew I had to get it up and get out of the water quickly," he said.

The man on the surf ski had witnessed the attack and began towing Henrich to shore as the injured surfer rested on his belly, extending his right calf in the air. Henrich said he decided to speed up his rescue by catching a wave all the way to shore.

Henrich said he managed to hobble to the shopping center, “screaming the whole way” whenever he put pressure on his mangled right leg. After flagging down a motorist to call 911, Henrich sat and waited for an ambulance while several bystanders offered their T-shirts to help stem the blood flow.

Henrich was taken to Maui Memorial Medical Center where he received around 100 stitches.

Sources:
Honolulu Advertiser
Star Bulletin

PIC source:
Star Bulletin

43 Things Tags: shark attack,maui,surfer

INJURED – 17 October 2009 – Deep Sea World, North Queensferry, Fife, Scotland – diver attacked

 

A staff diver, 23, at Deep Sea World aquarium, North Queensferry in Fife, near Edinburgh, Scotland was bitten on the hand by an angel shark (monkfish) while diving in the aquarium. The incident occurred on Saturday 17 October 2009.

He received 15-20 lacerations, each about a centimetre long. Paramedics dressed his wounds at the venue. He was not sent to hospital.

Sources:
BBC News

FATAL – Reported 18 September 2009 – Outer Banks, North Carolina, US – swimmer attacked

This brief report showed up on wearecentralPA.com on 21 September.

A Pittsburgh man has been identified as the victim of a rare shark attack while vacationing in the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

The body of 60-year-old Richard Snead was found Friday (18 September)  about 18-miles away from where he went for a swim a week prior. The medical examiner listed the cause of death as injuries from "extensive" shark bites. Snead is expected to be buried at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies.

Another report on 18 September on WVEC.com says:

Richard A. Snead, 60, was reported missing last weekend (12-13 September 2009) by family members staying in Corolla and his body washed up Thursday (17 September) morning on the beach at Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, US.

Snead had been swimming after dark.

The autopsy, performed Friday morning, determined Snead died of “multiple injuries over the whole body”, a spokeswoman for the Office of the North Carolina Medical Examiner told WVEC.com. She said the autopsy showed the bites didn’t occur after his death.

There was no determination of what kind of shark inflicted the injuries.

Sources:
wearecentralPA.com
WVEC.com

INJURED – Terramar Beach, Carlsbad, California, US – 25 August 2009 – swimmer attacked

 

Bethany Edmund (age not reported) was swimming about 100 metres offshore of Terramar Beach, near Carlsbad, California, US, when she was bitten on the left foot and leg by what is thought to have been a juvenile great white. She received minor injuries and bruising and didn’t require hospitalisation. The incident occurred on Tuesday, 25 August 2009.

She told San Diego News:

"I felt a sharp pinching pain on my foot.” She thought she had kicked the reef.

"I started swimming sideways on my side and that's when I got hit for the third time, about 30 seconds after I started swimming and that one propelled me about a foot out of the water."

The shark took another bite on her calf.

"I went and caught the next wave and I felt the same sharp pain on my calf, but this time I got pulled down and shaken around for four or five seconds and I accidently kicked it and it let me go and to that point I was in waist-high water and I started running," said Edmund.

A shark expert said Edmund's bright-green toenail polish might have triggered the attack.

Sources:
San Diego News (with video interview)
CBS8

Picture source:
CBS8

FATAL – 29 August 2009 – Glentana Bay, Southern Cape, South Africa – surfer attacked

 

Gerhard van Zyl, 25, died after being attacked by a shark while surfing at Glentana Bay, near Mossel Bay on the southern Cape coast, South Africa. The incident occurred just after 3.30pm on Saturday 29 August 2009.

According to reports Van Zyl’s right leg had been almost completely severed below the knee. A friend pulled him from the water and helped tie a tourniquet around his leg. He was airlifted by emergency services to a hospital in the nearby town of George in a critical condition. He died later at the hospital.

There were no witness comments reported and it was not known what type of shark was responsible for the attack.

Sources:
News24
Cape Argus

INJURED – 31 July 2009 – near Abaco Key, Bahamas, Caribbean – Spearfisher attacked

Derek Mitchell, 14, was bitten on the right leg by a bull shark while spearfishing north of Abaco Key, Bahamas on Friday 31 July 2009. Derek received 16 lacerations to his right leg and a damaged Achilles tendon. He was taken ashore by boat and flown to St Mary’s Medical Center in Florida, US, where he underwent surgery. He was expected to make a  full recovery.

"I saw the shark. It came up to me and turned away. Then, it came back around. I stuck my head out off the water to call my dad. That's when it bit me," Derek told media.

"I didn't even know I got bitten, I thought I just got bumped by the shark, it didn't even go through my mind 'til I saw some blood.

"At first, I felt nothing. Then, it felt like a baseball bat hitting me. The shark seemed to be gnawing on me. It spun me around about 180 degrees. It all happened so fast.”

Sources:
WPTV
PalmBeachPost
TC Palm

Photo credit: Dale Mitchell/PalmBeachPost

INJURED – 1 August 2009 – near Breton Island, Louisiana, US – fisherman attacked

A brief report says Chris Haynes, 56, was bitten on the right leg while fishing from a boat near Breton Island about 65 miles southeast of New Orleans, Louisiana, US. The attack took place on Saturday 1 August 2009. Details were sketchy. According to the report Haynes said the shark attack lasted only a few seconds, but it left plenty of damage to his right leg.

He was airlifted from the boat by helicopter to the Coast Guard’s Air Station New Orleans and then taken to a hospital in Louisiana before being transferred to the University of Mississippi Medical Center, where he spent more than a week.

No details of how the attack occurred or what type of shark it was were reported.

Sources:
16ABC

Technorati Tags: shark,fisherman,louisiana,breton island

INJURED – 10 August 2009 – Ponce Inlet, Volusia County, Florida, USA – swimmer attacked

 

A 26-year-old tourist from Spain was reported attacked by a shark Monday 10 August 2009 while swimming  at Ponce Inlet, Volusia County, Florida, USA.

According to the local beach patrol the man was was bitten on the foot while swimming around 7 pm.

His injuries were minor and he was treated at the beach.

No other details were reported.

Sources:
Click Orlando

INJURED – 7 July 2009 – Jongensfontein, Southern Cape, South Africa – surfer attacked

Paul Buckley, 37, suffered lacerations to his left leg after he was bitten by an estimated 3.5 metre great white shark while surfing at Kakgats at Jongensfontein on the southern Cape coast, South Africa. The incident occurred on Tuesday 7 July 2009.

The shark sunk its teeth into his left thigh and held on for a couple of seconds before releasing him and swimming away.

Buckley describes the incident.

I was actually paddling back to shore because I hadn’t had a great surf when I was flipped in the air with such force.

It sounded like a growl or a grunt - maybe from the impact.

I just knew in my gut that it was a shark. It was like a 500lb Rottweiler in a very bad mood.

The force was incredible. The first thing I said when I was attacked was "No, please God not like this."

I didn’t see the shark’s eyes because his back was towards me but that was when I grabbed its tail. 

No doubt I was scared. I feared for my life so I just grabbed it. I thought if I held it by the tail, its mouth could not reach me again.

The bite in Buckley’s board measured 37cm wide and 3cm deep into the board.

A National Sea Rescue Institute spokesperson said “it was a bloody big fish” and reckoned it must have measured about 3.5 metres and was most likely a great white.

The bite on Buckley’s leg was about 30cm wide.

Watching from his parent's balcony, 14-year-old Pieter de Witt saw the surfer start to thrash around in the water.

De Witt rushed down to the sea where he met Buckley and Phil Norton – who had been surfing with Buckley – while his sister brought a car down to the beach.

"The first we knew of it was when we saw Paul paddling slowly towards the beach. He paddled right onto the sand and was holding his leg," said Norton.

"We bundled him into the car and rushed him to a local doctor who sewed it shut. From there we dashed to Mossel Bay hospital where a specialist sewed it up."

According to Norton, the doctors said Buckley was lucky no flesh had been torn off and the shark's teeth hadn't ruptured an artery or torn his hamstring.

Sources
IOL
Mail Online

PIC: Buckley and De Witt
PIC Source: Mail Online

INJURED – 5 July 2009 – Zelda Beach Approach, Daytona Beach, Florida, US – Boogie boarder attacked

A 12-year-old girl received minor wounds when she was bitten on the ankle by a shark while she was surfing her Boogie board in about 4 feet of water north of Zelda Beach Approach, Daytona Beach, Florida, US. The incident happened around 4pm on Sunday, 5 July 2009.

The girl’s parents drove her to hospital where she was expected to have a few stitches.

A Beach Patrol spokesperson said the shark was most likely a juvenile black tip or spinner.

No other details were reported.

Sources:
News Journal Online

INJURED – 4 July 2009 -- Biscayne National Park, Florida, US – swimmer attacked

A 43-year-old woman (name not released) was bitten on the leg by a nurse shark while swimming near sandbar in Biscayne National Park, Florida, US. The incident happened on Saturday afternoon, 4 July 2009.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue officials said the bite was severe, but not life-threatening.

“It took a big chunk out of her leg, but luckily missed an artery,” one of the Fire Rescue officials was quoted as saying.

According to media, the woman felt something bump her leg, and when she looked down, saw she'd been bitten by a nurse shark.

Her friends took the woman from the sandbar to Homestead Bayfront Park Marina by boat, where they were met by rescuers.

She was taken to Baptist Memorial Hospital for treatment, but was said to be stable and talking.

Sources:
Miami Herald