SCARED -- 16 September 2007 -- Flagler Beach, Florida, USA -- surfer attacked

Teenager Jessica Riley was surfing alone at Flagler Beach, Florida, USA when she was attacked by what is believed to be 9 foot Bull shark. She narrowly escaped injury when the shark took a huge bite out of her board.

She told Florida’s WFTV that she was lying on her board and heard a splash. She said something told her to raise her right hand out of the water just before the shark came up underneath the board, emerged from the water and bit into the board about half way down its length.

“The whole thing was like out of Jaws,” she said, “where you see the eyeballs and then they turn white and the teeth they were, like, crooked.”

“As soon as it bit the board I fell in onto the shark,” she said.

“The shark started to thrash and then I heard a popping sound and I thought ‘Oh no have a I lost a leg or an arm’?”

She realised later the popping sound was the chunk of board breaking off in the shark’s mouth.

She said it was crazy. There were so many thoughts going through her mind.

“I started to kick and kneed the shark right under its mouth. My finger found its eyeball and it went in. And as soon as I realised it was his eyeball, I shoved it in more.”

She said the shark released the board, but caught her leash as it swam off pulling her under. She undid the ankle strap, swam to the surface, scrambled back onto her board and paddled for shore.

She said she called for help, but no one heard.

She collected her things from the beach put her board in her truck and drove to a friend’s house. They called 911. When they came round they didn’t believe her story until they saw her board.

She said at the time of the report - three days after the attack - she had had very little sleep because she had been having nightmares about the attack.

Jessie believes someone was looking out for her as has a cross on her board and was wearing a cross that day which she doesn’t normally do.

“Someone told me to lift my arm out the water just before the shark emerged and bit the board.”

Sources:
WFTV

The raw video interview is good.

INJURED – 17 September 2007 – Gizo, Western Province, Solomon Islands – spearfisher attacked

Corey Howell (no age reported) was spearfishing near Gizo, Western Province in the Solomon Islands when a shark attacked and took three bites from his left thigh before swimming away, according to a brief report in the Solomon Star newspaper.

The incident occurred on Monday 17 September 2007.

It was believed the shark was lured by the fish he had caught.

Howell was airlifted to the National Referral Hospital in Honiara, the capital, on 18 September where he underwent surgery to “clean the rugged wound”.

No other details were reported.

Sources:
Solomon Star

INJURED – 16 September 2007 – New Smyrna Beach, Florida, USA – wader attacked

Central Florida News 13 reported this incident in brief: a 56-year-old man was in waist deep water when he was bitten on the right heel. The man was not named. He was treated on the beach and went home.

The incident took place around 11.15am on Sunday 16 September 2007 near the jetty at New Smyrna Beach, Volusia County, Florida, USA.

Sources:
Central Florida News 13

INJURED – 13 September 2007 – Anglin's Fishing Pier, Broward Country, Florida, USA – swimmer attacked

A brief report lacking much detail and rather odd story says Brandon Chapman, 14, was bitten by 3-4 foot shark which attached itself to his belly. Fire rescue crew who were called to the scene. They waded into 3 feet of water where Brandon was holding the shark still attached to his abdomen. They punched the shark on the nose to make it release its grip. Brandon was treated at hospital and released.

The incident took place on Thursday, 13 September 2007 at around 4pm near Anglin's Fishing Pier, Broward Country, Florida, USA.

Sources:
Yahoo News

INJURED – 8 September 2007 – Pepper Park beach, Florida, United States – wader attacked

Carolyn Griffin, 58, was bitten on the leg by a shark while wading offshore of Pepper Park, Florida, US on Saturday 8 September 2007. She received 12 tooth punctures to the front of her leg and a 5cm deep gash on her calf muscle.

According to media the lifeguard said the wounds were consistent with a 4 foot Bull shark.

Griffin said she had just waded into the water when she felt a bump on her leg. At first she thought it was a boogie board — until she saw a fin swimming away.

She went to the lifeguard who wrapped her wound. She was taken by ambulance to Lawnwood Regional Medical Center & Heart Institute where she received stitches and staples to the gash. Her wounds were minor and she was expected to be OK.

No other details were reported.

Sources
TYPalm
WPBF TV

INJURED -- 6 September 2007 -- Daytona Beach, Florida, United States -- wader attacked

A brief report says a 24-year-old woman (not named) was bitten on the toe by a shark while wading in shallow water off Daytona Beach, Florida, USA. Her injuries were not serious.

The incident took place on Thursday 6 September 2007.

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

Sources:
Local6.com

INJURED -- 4 September 2007 -- Sullivan’s island, South Carolina, US -- surfer attacked

A very brief report says Rory Corr, 15, was bitten on both legs by a shark while surfing off Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina, US. The incident took place Tuesday 4 September 2007.

He told Live 5 TV news from his hospital that he did not see the shark. After it bit him he grabbed the back of the surfboard of a friend who paddled him to shore. When he was in knee deep water his friend ran to a telephone and he crawled out the water and onto the beach. A woman on the beach used her shirt to wrap his calf to stem the bleeding.

No other details were reported except that he required a number of stitches for the wounds.

Live 5 News

INJURED -- 3 September 2007 -- Fort Lauderdale Beach, Florida, US – swimmer attacked

Domingo Laciofano, 58, claims he was bitten by shark on the arm while swimming off Fort Lauderdale Beach, -- 14-hundred block of Ocean Drive -- Florida, in the US. He received an 8 centimetre laceration in his left arm.

The incident took place Monday morning 3 September 2007.

Guido Garlaschi who saw the attack told media: "The man started screaming. He was retrieved from the water. The man was in pain and had a small laceration on his left arm.”

Laciofano was taken to Broward General Medical Center where he received 100 stitches and underwent minor surgery. He was expetced to be fine.

Beachgoers speculated it could be a small Spinner shark.

No other details were reported.

Sources:
CBS4

INJURED -- 3 September 2007 -- Daytona Beach, Volusia County, Florida, US -- swimmer attacked

A 12-year-old girl (name not released) received minor injuries to her arm when she was bitten by a shark while swimming off Daytona Beach, Volusia County, Florida, United States. The incident occurred Monday 3 September 2007 – Labour Day in the US with crowds of people on the beach and in the water.

Witnesses said the girl was standing in waist deep water at the time of the attack.

Local media reports said she came ashore with a bleeding arm. Authorities said she had about a dozen puncture wounds. Her arm was bandaged at the beach.

No other details were reported.

Sources:
Central Florida News 13
WFTV

INJURED -- 28 August 2007 -- Ka'a'awa, Oahu, Hawaii -- bodysurfer attacked

A 15-year-old boy (name not released) was bitten on the foot while bodysurfing at Ka'a'awa, Oahu, Hawaii on Tuesday 28 August 2007.

The boy says it was a 12 foot Tiger shark that bit him.

According to a report in the Honolulu Advertiser the boy was 400 metres offshore when he felt something "slice" at his foot before seeing his foot in the mouth of a shark. The boy kicked the shark with his other foot and it swam away. He suffered only minor lacerations to his foot.

The boy was treated for injuries at a nearby fire station before his parents took him to Kaiser Moanalua Medical Center for further examination.

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

Source:
Honolulu Advertiser

INJURED -- 28 August 2007 -- Marina State Beach, Monterey Bay, California, USA -- surfer attacked

Todd Endris, 24, was attacked by a shark while surfing at Marina State Beach, Monterey Bay, California, USA. He suffered bite wounds to his torso and right thigh. The incident took place around 10.30am on Tuesday, 28 August 2007.

He was surfing with around six others surfers at a local beach break when the attack happened.
One of the surfers in the water at the time, Joe Jansen, told the Mercury News he first heard a scream and immediately saw a pod of dolphins swim by and a huge splash. Then he saw the Great White shark on top of Endris, pulling him under water.

Endris resurfaced seconds later, blood "gushing" from gashes in his back. Jansen then pulled the 24-year-old San Jose native back onto Endris' surfboard and towed him toward the shore.

"He must have been in shock because he said he didn't feel any pain," Jansen told the newspaper. "He was talking to us, answering questions."

Other reports describe Todd punching the shark to make it release its grip. Some witness reports say the shark pulled him underwater, let him go and then bit him again when he resurfaced.

Witness reports about size of the shark vary. They all say it was a Great White, but some say it was 20 foot, some say 15 foot and Marine biologist Robert Lea says it was probably between 12 and 13 foot – nonetheless a large shark.

Reports say surfers pulled him to shore and administered first aid with the surfboard leash as tourniquet and towels to stem the bleeding until an ambulance arrived.

One witness reports Endris riding a wave back to the beach with “the white water behind him all red”.

Endris was taken by ambulance to the Marina Municipal Airport and was airlifted to Valley Medical Center in San Jose, where he underwent surgery and was reported in a stable condition.

Sources:
Mercury News

San Francisco Chronicle

PIC Source:
Mercury News

INJURED – 25 August 2007 – Ponce Inlet, New Smyrna Beach, Florida, United States – surfer attacked

Joe Coursey was bitten on his left hand while surfing near the Jetties at Ponce Inlet, New Smyrna Beach, Florida, United States. The incident happened on Satuday morning 26 August 2007.

Coursey’s daughter, Sarah Coursey, told media: “He said it didn’t hurt. It happened so quickly. He just looked down and there was a shark on his hand.”

Sarah Coursey was with her father in the water when he was attacked. She said her father managed to bandage his own hand and flag down help before she knew what happened.

Joe Coursey had surgery to lacerations on his hand at Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach.

Initial reports said the man attacked claimed the shark was 6 foot long.

Sources:
WFTV

WESH

PIC source:

WFTV

INJURED – 19 August 2007 – Islamorada, Florida Keys, United States – swimmer attacked

In a few sketchy media reports -- Chris Olstad, 52, was reported bitten on the side of his torso by a shark while swimming his regular swimming route from Founders Park (Islamorada, Florida Keys, United States) to a sail boat about a half a mile offshore. Olstad was swimming at night around 9.15pm and on his way back when the shark bit him. He suffered extensive wounds to the side of his torso.

The incident took place on Sunday night 19 August 2007.

He managed to get back to shore and walked 100 metres to a county sheriff’s department, passing out three times along the way and sustaining cuts and bruises to his head. From the sheriff’s department substation he was taken by ambulance to nearby Mariner's Hospital and later airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center.

Olstad later told the Miami Herald he believed it was a shark.

''I felt a bump and a shake and felt the head of an animal,'' he said.

He said when he got back to shore, no one was a around. As he walked along the beach toward the sheriff's Islamorada substation, located at the entrance to Founder's Park, he passed out three times.

Sgt. Tom Kiffney, who spoke with Olstad at Mariner's Hospital, said the man's wounds were extensive, from under his arm to his waist, with a large chunk of his flesh missing.

Olstad said he’d been swimming there for eight years. “This is a pretty rare event,” he said.

Sources:

Miami Herald

Orlando Sentinel

Local10

INJURED – 19 August 2007 – Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, United States – swimmer attacked

A 7-year-old boy (name not released) was bitten in the leg by a shark while swimming just south of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, US on Sunday, 19 August 2007.

The boy was playing in waist-deep water when the shark attacked him.

Bystanders stemmed the bleeding before medics arrived. He underwent emergency surgery to his calf at Grand Strand Regional Medical Center. The injury was not life-threatening and the boy suffered no tissue loss according to media reports.

No other details were reported.

Source:
WRAL.com

INJURED – 15 August 2007 – Sarasota Bay, Florida, United States – swimmer attacked

Andrea Lynch, 20, was attacked by what is presumed a 6 foot bull shark while floating on her back in the sea during a boat trip in Sarasota Bay, Florida, US. The incident took place on Wednesday night 15 August 2007.

Lynch was bitten on the side of her torso. She said the shark bit her, shook her and let go. She received 17 puncture wounds requiring more than 100 stitches.

Lynch and three friends had rowed out in an inflatable boat to a larger boat anchored 200 metres offshore. They wanted to swim in the bioluminescence which was glowing that night. Lynch and a friend jumped into the water.

One friend was swimming with Lynch when she screamed, and two were standing in the boat. When she pulled herself out of the water, the friends planned to go back to shore. But in the chaos, the inflatable dinghy floated away. Nobody wanted to jump back in the water to bring it back. They had no way back to shore.

"It was like a horror movie," Lynch said.

"I got on the boat and my friend was like, 'Do I need to call 911?'", she told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune newspaper.

"I reached back with my hand and felt all these gashes on me, and there was blood running down my body and pooling in the boat," she added.

Her friends staunched the bleeding by pressing shirts against the wounds.

They called 911 and 20 minutes later a rescue boat picked them up. Lynch was taken to Sarasota Memorial Hospital.

Doctors said the shark's teeth got close to her lungs during the attack, but missed all major organs.

Sources:
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
BBC News

PIC source:
Metro UK

INJURED -- 14 August 2007 -- Florida Keys, United States -- swimmer attacked

Ashley Silverman, 19, suffered severe lacerations to her right arm after being attacked by a shark soon after she jumped from a boat into waters off the Florida Keys, US. The incident took place on Tuesday afternoon, 14 August 2007.

In an interview with CBS4 she explained she was in the water when suddenly she felt a tug on her right arm. "I didn't see it. I didn't know what happened. I didn't know if I had gotten hit from a propeller or a boat or what it was." She said she saw blood in the water. "I saw my bone and pieces of flesh in the water."

Her boyfriend jumped in the water and pulled her out.

She was originally taken to Mariner's Hospital and then airlifted to Kendall hospital, where she underwent surgery to close an eight-inch gash on her right arm.

The doctor who performed the surgery said the wound may have been caused by a bull shark.

Sources:
UPI
CBS4

INJURED -- 26 July 2007 -- New Smyrna Beach, Florida, USA -- surfer attacked

Jeffrey Clark, 51, was paddling out near the jetty at Ponce Inlet, New Smyrna Beach, Florida, USA at around 5.30pm when he “collided in a wave” with a 3-4 foot black tip or spinner shark. Clark suffered minor lacerations to his shoulder and didn’t require medical treatment.

According to media reports Clark had been surfing the region for 45 years and this was the first time had been bitten by a shark.

No other details were reported.

Sources:
News Journal

INJURED -- 21 July 2007 -- Cocos Islands -- snorkeller attacked

Angus Chapman, 15, was attacked by a bronze whaler shark while swimming off the Cocos Islands on Saturday 21 July 2007. He was biiten on the leg three times and suffered severe lacerations and tendon and muscle damage.

He punched the shark on the snout and it swam away.

Angus said he had just finished snorkeling when the shark attacked. He said he was glad his six-year-old brother, who was swimming next to him, was not harmed during the attack.

"If I didn't punch it, then I would have lost my leg and if it got my brother then he probably would have died, which is a lot worse,'' he told media.

Surgeon Tim Cooper said Angus’s quick thinking helped save his life.

"He told someone to put a tourniquet on his limb, which is the correct thing to do if you've got major vessel injury and I believe if a shark won't let go, you've got to punch it in the face," he said.

No other details were reported.

News.com
ABC News

INJURED --19 July 2007 -- Bellows Beach, Oahu, Hawaii -- snorkeller attacked

Harvey Miller, 36, was snorkelling 150 metres from shore at Bellows Beach, Oahu, Hawaii, when he was attacked by an 8 foot Tiger shark. The incident, which occurred around 3.30pm on Thursday 19 July 2007, left a 30 centimetre gash in his left knee.

He was helped ashore and taken to The Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu where hospital authorities said he’d lost part of his calf and suffered some cut tendons.

Dr Patrick Murray was quoted as saying the shark damaged several nerves and the knee, leaving a 30 cm gash. He said it was lucky the shark didn’t damage the femoral artery, which would have been life threatening.

Miller told media he was snorkelling looking for turtles when it appeared that the fish looked “spooked”.

The shark “bit me and swung me around.”

“I punched it twice in the body just below dorsal fin,” he said.

The shark let go.

“I then started screaming and yelling ‘Shark!’”

Miller said he just remembers thinking he didn’t want to die this way and saying: “Oh God, not like this, no way.”

At a press briefing he thanked the man who helped him from the water saying he saved his life.

Hawaii state Shark Task Force spokesman Randy Honebrink said bite marks on two turtles found in the area and the wounds on Miller pointed to an 8-foot Tiger shark. He said when they reached 8-feet it was about this age that they switched their diets to include turtles.

Sources:
Honolulu Star Bulletin
The Chronicle Telegram
13abc

INJURED -- 18 July 2007 -- North Topsail Beach, North Carolina, US -- wader attacked

Matthew Baker, 14, was bitten by a shark on the right calf while standing in knee deep water off North Topsail Beach, North Carolina, United States. The incident occurred around 12.30pm on Wednesday, 18 July 2007.

He was treated at Onslow Memorial Hospital.

Doctors treated two 2-inch gashes and a number of puncture wounds between Baker's knee and ankle, according to media reports. He was released from hospital later the same day.

Witnesses report seeing a group a 3 foot Gray sharks approach Matthew and friends he was swimming with.

Matthew said he did not realise it was a shark that had bit him -- thinking it was a friend of his playing with him -- then he heard witnesses screaming “shark” nearby and immediately swam to shore.

Sources
Wilmingtom Star

INJURED – 17 July 2007 – Atlantic Beach, North Carolina, US – wader attacked

A 30-year-old woman (name not released) was bitten on the right thigh and left foot while wading in waist deep water near Tar Landing Villas on Atlantic Beach, North Carolina, United States. The incident took place on Tuesday 17 July 2007.

People on the beach helped her to get out the water. She was treated at Carteret General Hospital and was expected to be released the same day.

The shark bite on her foot left triangular shaped teeth marks, according to the town fire chief.

No other details were reported.

Source:
WRAL

INJURED – 5 July 2007 – New Smyrna Beach, Florida, United States – surfer attacked

Chaz Cecil, 18, was bitten on his right foot by an unidentified shark on Thursday afternoon, 5 July 2007. The incident took place while he was surfing at New Smyrna Beach, Florida, United States.

The injury was minor – he received a few small lacerations to the top of his foot, according to a beach patrol official.

He was admitted to Bert Fish Medical Center and later discharged.

No other details were reported.

Sources:
Orlando Sentinel

International Herald Tribune

INJURED – 24 June 2007 – New Smyrna Beach, Florida, US – surfer attacked

Justin Lewis, 20, was surfing Sunday 24 June 2007 after 5.30pm near the south jetty at New Smyrna Beach, Volusia County, Florida, US when a shark bit his right hand, leaving 6 to 8 puncture wounds.

Lewis told Volusia County Beach Patrol the shark was about 4 feet long.

Lewis was treated at a hospital and was expected to be OK.

No other details were reported.

Sources:
Central Florida News 13

SHOCKED -- 24 June 2007 -- Silva's, Mokuleia, North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii -- surfer attacked

An unnamed surfer was attacked by a shark while surfing at Silva's, Mokuleia, North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii around 7am Sunday, 24 June 2007.

The surfer was uninjured in the attack, but the shark, presumed to be a 6 foot Tiger or Reef shark, to a bite out of his board.

A witness to the attack, George Rio, told media: "When he was paddling out, he felt something grab his board really hard and actually took him under the water. When it came up, it could have bit him, but he put the board towards the shark's mouth instead of going for him, it went for the board," said Rio. As for the victim's reaction, Rio said, "he seemed like he was still in a daze... in shock like he cannot believe that a shark bit his board and could have bitten him."

No other details were reported.

Source:
KGMB9

INJURED – 17 June 2007 – Vilano Beach, Florida, United States – surfer attacked

In rather sketchy media reports a nine-year-old girl was apparently attacked by a shark while surfing in the late afternoon on Sunday 17 June 2007.

Reports say the girl (name not released) was attacked around 4.30pm while surfing at Vilano Beach, St Augustine, Florida, US. No details of where she was bitten or how bad the wound was were reported.

One report said she managed to walk to her home nearby before being taken to Flagler Hospital by St. Johns County Fire Rescue.

A report on 19 June in the St Augustine Record says authorities were unsure if it was a shark that bit the girl and say the wound may have been caused by the fin of her surfboard.

“While the shape of the wound could have been made by a shark bite, other expected signs aren't present,” the newspaper reported.

Sources:
St Augustine Record

INJURED – 26 May 2007 -- Garden City Beach, South Carolina, United States – wader attacked

A woman (name not released) was presumed bitten by a shark at Garden City Beach, South Carolina, United States around 5pm on Saturday 26 May 2007.

She was taken to Waccamaw Community Hospital for treatment of a leg injury, according to media reports.

Witnesses said they heard the woman scream. She was in thigh deep water. When she came out she had three gashes on the bottom half of her leg.

Captain Scott Gosnell of Garden City-Murrells Inlet Fire Department told media that as far as he knew “it was a shark bite to the leg”.

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

Sources:
Island Packet
The Myrtle Beach Sun News

INJURED – 16 May 2007 -- Warra Beach, near Coral Bay, Western Australia – wader attacked

Early media reports say a woman, 39, (not named) was bitten on the back of her lower left leg by shark while walking in shallow water. She was holding her baby at the time of the attack which occurred around 2.45pm local time.

The attack occurred 16 May 2007 at Warra Beach, near Coral Bay in Western Australia, about a 1,000 km north of Perth.

Her husband was at the scene and drove her towards Coral Bay where they were met by an ambulance.

St John's Ambulance manager Danny Barron told media he was told that there was “significant damage to her calf muscle”.

The woman was first treated at a nursing post at Coral Bay and then taken to Carnarvon hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

No further details were reported at the time of this blog.

Sources:
Sydney Morning Herald
The West Australian

INJURED – 7 May 2007 -- Keawakapu Beach, Kihei, Maui, Hawaii – snorkeller attacked

A 63-year-old woman (name not released) was bitten on right her foot and calf while snorkelling about 30 metres offshore of Keawakapu Beach, Kihei, Maui, Hawaii.

The incident occurred about 8.30am on Monday, 7 May 2007. The size and type of shark was not immediately known, although an hour earlier, a surfer at Kamaole Beach Park II, about a three kilometres away, reported that a possible tiger shark bumped his friend's surfboard, according to the Honolulu Advertiser.

"Her right foot was slashed open - her complete foot on top from one end to the other longways," Amon Aquarian, who was at the scene of the attack, told media.

The woman was taken by ambulance to Maui Memorial Medical Center.

Sources:
Honolulu Advertiser
Guardian
KGMB9

INJURED – 7 May 2007 – Naples Beach, Florida, US – swimmer attacked

Hans Pruss, a 68-year-old German tourist, was bitten on the left leg by an unidentified shark while swimming about 100 metres offshore of Naples Beach, Florida, USA.

The incident occurred around 8.30am Monday, 7 May 2007.

Pruss managed to swim back to shore where he noticed a large circular bite beginning above his left knee and extending to his mid-thigh.

According to media reports he walked 150 metres back to his hotel. Hotel staff called 911. He was taken to NCH Naples Downtown Hospital. Emergency workers said the wound was serious but not life threatening.

Bob Hueter, director of the Center for Shark Research at Mote Marine Lab in Sarasota told media that initial reports that the shark was a 6- to- 8-foot bull shark were doubtful. Bull shark bite wounds tend to be severe or fatal, he said.

He said other sharks in the area at this time of year that are known to have attacked humans included black tips, lemon sharks and hammerheads.

Sources
Naples News

INJURED – 26 April 2007 -- Mornington Island, Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia – swimmer attacked

A brief report in The Sydney Morning Herald and News.com.au says a 13-year-old girl -- Lorraine (second name not reported) -- was bitten by a shark while swimming with friends in waters off Mornington Island, in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia, on Thursday, 26 April 2007.

According to a witness she was jumping off a jetty with friends when the incident happened. One of the girls who saw the shark said it was small.

Police said the girl was airlifted to Townsville Hospital where she received treatment for injuries to her leg and foot.

No other details were reported.

Sources:
The Sydney Morning Herald
News.com.au

DESCRIBED – Update to 22 April 2007 Hutchinson island shark attack

Matthew Honyak, 12, described the shark attack that took place on Hutchinson island, 22 April 2007. He was bitten on his left ankle by what authorites assume was a small bull shark while body surfing with friends a short distance from the shore.

He described the attack to media.

He said he was still underwater when he saw a shark's mouth and then felt it clamp down on his ankle and yank back.

"I gave it a huge kick," Matthew said. "I was just so scared. I just kicked as hard as I could."

That kick stunned the shark, which let go, he said.

Another wave came and knocked Matthew to shore. He walked out onto the sand, blood gushing from his wound.

"I said, `I got bit by a shark. I got bit by a shark,'" he recalled.

"I was so shocked. I didn't feel any pain."

A lifeguard called paramedics, who took Matthew to the hospital where he received seven stitches to the wound.

Sources:
Sun Sentinel

INJURED – 22 April 2007 – Waveland Beach, Hutchinson Island, Florida, US – body boarder attacked

A 12-year-old boy (name not reported) was bitten on the foot while body boarding about 25 metres from shore at Waveland Beach, Hutchinson Island, Florida, US.

The incident happened at around 12.30pm on Sunday 22 April 2007.

A man who witnessed the attack told media he noticed a “chunk of meat” missing from the boy’s foot. He said the wound appeared to run from the boy’s ankle down to his toes.

Paramedics took the boy to Martin Memorial Health Center for treatment. There was no update on his condition at the time of this blog.

Sources:
TC Palm Local News

INJURED – 20 April 2007 – New Smyrna Beach, Florida, USA – surfer attacked

Chad Guthrie, 24, was bitten on the left hand by a 4 to 5 foot bull shark while surfing Friday evening, 20 April 2007, at New Smyrna Beach, Florida, USA.

He was taken to Halifax Hospital in Daytona, where he spent 5 hours in surgery Friday night.

His grandmother told media the shark “ripped open his left hand and incurred serious injury to the thumb and first two fingers”.

According to media Guthrie said he planned to continue surfing once his wounds had healed.

Sources:

The News Press

INJURED – 1 April 2007 -- New Smyrna Beach, Florida, United States – swimmer attacked

Jack Lomedico, 10, was bitten on his calf while swimming near Flagler Avenue at New Smyrna Beach, Florida, United States. The attack took place on Sunday, 1 April 2007.

According to media he and his brother were only one metre into the water when the shark attacked. His father Tom Lomedico was able to grab him and pull him out of the water.

He was rushed to hospital where he received 60 stitches to the wound. He was expected to make a full recovery.

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

Sources:
WFTV.com

UPDATE:
Jack Lomedico gives interview with WFTV

INJURED – 31 March 2007 – Hutchinson Island, St Lucie County, Florida, United States – surfer attacked

In the second of two attacks on the same island on the same day, an unnamed 30-year-old surfer was bitten on his right ankle by a shark.

He sustained 7-10 centimetre wounds in the attack which took place around 2.20pm at Normandy Beach, Hutchinson Island, St Lucie County, Florida, United States.

His injuries were serious enough to keep him at Martin Memorial Medical Center, but were not life-threatening.

A fisherman who witnessed the attack said the surfer was no more than 25 metres from the shore when his was bitten by the shark.

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

Sources:
Palm Beach Post

INJURED – 31 March 2007 – Hutchinson Island, St Lucie County, Florida, United States – swimmer attacked

In the first of two attacks on the same island on the same day, a nine-year-old boy (unnamed) was attacked by a shark and bitten on the right buttock and thigh.

He sustained minor injuries in the attack which took place around 1.20pm on Saturday, 31 March 2007 at Waveland Park on Hutchinson Island, St Lucie County, Florida, United States.

He was treated and released at Martin Memorial Medical Center.

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

Sources:
Palm Beach Post

INJURED – 20 March 2007 -- South Golden Beach, New South Wales, Australia – surfer attacked

Jodie Cooper, 42, was bitten on the left hand by a 5-foot shark while surfing at South Golden Beach, New South Wales, Australia on Tuesday 20 March 2007.

Cooper, a former number 2 on the pro surfing circuit, suffered lacerations and bone-deep cuts to her hand.

She told media about the attack: “I just went 'okay, I'm being attacked by a shark'."

She had just finished riding a wave and was paddling back to catch another one when the shark latched onto her left hand.

“It just came up from underneath me and just bit me - just like in the movies, it's pretty classic, except lucky it was small shark, a little five-foot thing," Cooper said.

“I didn't even see the thing the whole time, it just gave me a good old chomp on the hand and took a couple of knuckles."

“I'm not saying I'm this heroic bloody thing, I was shitting my pants, you know.

“It's one of those things in all honesty that we can laugh about now and I'm just laughing about it,” she said.

"It's just like I've been bitten by a big dog, just down to the bone on two knuckles, and then about 10 teeth lacerations up my hand," Cooper said.

"There doesn't appear to be any ligament damage ... and I can sort of wiggle my hand."

I'll give it a couple of days and then I'll go surfing for sure."

Sources:
Sydney Morning Herald

DESCRIBED -- The woman attacked at Moore Park beach tells her story

59-year-old Mary Jane Ryan was malled by a suspected 2-metre bull shark – details here.

She tells her story from her hospital bed...

I felt like I'd been hit by a truck... I knew it was something big and I knew I had to get out of there or I'd be dead. End of story."

Those were the words of Mary Jane Ryan yesterday as she lay in a bed in Queensland's Bundaberg Hospital reliving the terrifying shark attack which she believes could have claimed her life.

Sporting a massive bruise to her right hand and arm and a badly gouged leg, Ms Ryan, 59, gave a graphic account of the leisurely Monday afternoon swim at Moore Park beach, just north of Bundaberg, that ended in horror.

Escaping the sweltering 38C heat, Ms Ryan had been swimming alone in chest-deep calm water at low tide when the shark struck.

"All of a sudden, bam, and I knew it was a shark," she said.

"And I knew it had bit my leg and people say 'did you look around?' and it was like 'no, I just knew I had to get out of there'.

More here at NEWS.com.au…

INJURED – 12 March 2007 – Moore Park, Queensland, Australia – wader attacked

A very brief report on Australia’s ABC News Online says a woman (unnamed) was bitten on the foot by a shark at Moore Park, near Bundaberg in south-east Queensland at about 3.30pm local time on Monday 12 March 2007.

The woman managed to walk to a nearby kiosk and call for help. She was taken to Bundaberg Base Hospital for treatment for bruising and cuts to her foot.

No other details were reported.

Source: ABC News Online

INJURED – 11 March 2007 – Tiger Shores Beach, Hutchinson Island, Florida – surfer attacked

Adam McMichael suffered deep cuts on his right forearm after being attacked by a shark while surfing at Tiger Shores Beach, Hutchinson Island, Florida at around 1pm on Sunday 11 March, 2007.

According to a report in Florida’s Sun Sentinel several witnesses heard McMichael screaming for help. He managed to paddle back to shore where he was assisted by beachgoers before paramedics arrived.

Kaye Cross, on vacation in Florida, looked in McMichael's direction from her spot on the beach and could see "big, long deep slices" on his arm and "a trail of blood."

A resident of nearby Jensen Beach, Craig Price, told the newspaper that McMichael said he had “just felt a tug” and never saw the shark, which remains unidentified.

McMichael was taken to Martin Memorial Medical Center in Stuart for surgery to save tissue in his shoulder. He was reported in stable condition.

Sources: Sun Sentinel

INJURED – 4 March 2007?? – Penryn, Cook Islands – spearfisher attacked

A brief 5 March 2007 report on the Radio New Zealand International website says a 16-year-old boy, Turua William Maretapu , from the northern Cook Islands was bitten on the leg by a Tiger shark while spearfishing.

The report quotes the Cook Island Times as saying Turua was swimming over the reef into the lagoon at Penrhyn after spearfishing.

“He spotted the shark and fired at it.

“The shot missed and the shark bit his leg.”

The report did not mention the time or date of the attack.

According to the report others on the reef including his uncle who has First Aid knowledge helped him.

“Turua was rushed to hospital, where the doctor said the first aid probably stopped him bleeding to death.”

No other details were reported.

Source:
Radio New Zealand International

STATS -- Shark attacks up in 2006, but show long-term decline

Shark attacks edged up slightly in 2006 but continued an overall long-term decline as overfishing and more cautious swimmers helped take a bite out of the aggressive encounters, new University of Florida research finds.

The total number of shark attacks worldwide increased from 61 in 2005 to 62 in 2006 and the number of fatalities remained stable at four, far below the 79 attacks and 11 fatalities recorded in 2000, said George Burgess, director of the International Shark Attack File housed at UF’s Florida Museum of Natural History.

“This was a nice dull year and we love dull years because it means there are fewer serious attacks and fewer victims,” Burgess said. “It’s really quite remarkable when you have only four people a year die in the mouth of a shark and puts in perspective how small shark attack is as a phenomenon.”

Fewer sharks are swarming near the shore where humans swim as larger numbers of shark and other fish of prey are killed each year, Burgess said. At the same time, many Third World countries are making strides in improving medical care and beach safety, while many people are getting smarter about where and when to get into the water, he said.

“They’re starting to see that when they enter the sea, they’re engaging in a wilderness experience as opposed to entering the equivalent of a backyard pool,” he said.

As a result, the rate of attacks has actually declined over the years as human population has increased, he said.

The number of attacks in the United States, the world’s leader, dipped slightly from 40 in 2005 to 38 in 2006; well below the 53 recorded in 2000, he said.

As in past years, Florida was the world’s shark capital, with 23 attacks, Burgess said. This was slightly higher than the 19 cases reported in 2005 but considerably lower than the annual average of 33 between 2000 and 2003, he said.

Elsewhere in the world, Burgess tracked seven attacks in Australia, four in South Africa, three in Brazil, two in the Bahamas and one each in Fiji, Guam, Mexico, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, La Reunion, Spain and Tonga.

The four fatalities were in Australia, Brazil, La Reunion and Tonga. The Australian victim was a woman swimming with her dog, and the attack may have been provoked by fishermen throwing bloodied fish in the ocean as they cleaned their catch. The Brazilian fatality was a male surfer in waters off the northeastern part of the country. The Tonga case involved a 24-year-old female swimmer who was an American Peace Corps volunteer. The attack off the Indian Ocean island of Reunion was on a 34-year-old male surfing in an area where swimming and other recreational activities are forbidden.

With globalization, not all people are taking precautions as they venture into remote corners of the world that once were sleepy villages with strictly native populations, he said.

“Some of these tourists bring their aquatic recreation to places known to be sharky without asking the natives about good and bad places,” Burgess said. “The natives may know that you don’t go into the water off a certain point because that’s where the big tiger shark is, and the French tourist who decides to go sailboarding there gets grabbed by the tiger shark.”

Surfers and windsurfers were the most frequent victims in 2006, accounting for 26 of the shark attacks, followed by swimmers and waders, 21, and divers and snorkelers, five.
Besides Florida’s 23 attacks, elsewhere in the United States attacks numbered four in South Carolina; three each in Hawaii and Oregon; two in California; and one each in New Jersey, North Carolina and Texas.

“Within Florida, Volusia County and particularly New Smyrna Beach is the hot spot,” he said.

“This area on a square mile basis has more attacks than anyplace else in the world.”

A nearby inlet draws many swimmers, surfers and sharks, which find all the splashing, kicking and other movements humans make in the water highly provocative, Burgess said.

Shark attacks in Volusia County increased from nine in 2005 to 12 in 2006. Numbers of attacks recorded in other Florida counties were three in Brevard, two each in Manatee and St. Lucie and one each in Collier, Monroe, Indian River and Palm Beach.

“Even though there are a large number of attacks in Volusia County and along the entire east coast of Florida, the injuries are seldom very serious and fatalities are highly unusual,” he said.

Sources: Science Daily

FATAL -- 14 January 2007 -- Second Beach, Port St Johns, Transkei, South Africa -- swimmer attacked

Sibulele Masiza, 24, was presumed killed by a tiger shark after he went missing while swimming off Second Beach at Port St Johns, Transkei, South Africa on Sunday 14 January.

A spokesperson for the Natal Sharks Board, Geremy Cliff, told the Daily Dispatch newspaper: “Judging by the circumstances of his disappearance and the flipper that was torn, it can only have been a tiger shark attack.”

According to the report Masiza’s torn flipper was washed up onto the beach soon after he disappeared. His body was never recovered.

Cliff told the newspaper the fine serration on Masiza’s flipper could only have been caused by the cockscomb-shaped teeth of a tiger shark, which differed from other sharks such as great whites or Zambezis.

According to the report Masiza, who was a life-saver, was attacked by a shark in 2004 and had gashes on his legs from the incident.

Source:
Daily Dispatch

INJURED -- 3 February 2007 -- Angel’s Beach, New South Wales, Australia -- surfer attacked

Matthew McIntosh, 26, was bitten on the lower left leg by a shark while boogie boarding at Angel’s Beach between Ballina and Lennox Head New South Wales, Australia.

The attack took place at 8am on Saturday 3 February 2007. The man suffered lacerations to his lower left leg and foot.

Surfers who were at the beach said his flipper was shredded and he had a deep gash to his ankle.

Police told media the shark shark pulled the man from his boogie.

"He managed to raise the alarm with his friend, he swam towards shore, got back onto his boogie board and his friend came in and then went out and actually assisted him back into the beach," Inspector David Driver told reporters.

He was airlifted for treatment at Lismore Base Hospital.

Some media reports speculated that the shark was a 2-3m bronze whaler.

Sources
Village Voice
The Sunday Telegraph

INJURED – 23 January 2007 – Cape Howe, New South Wales, Australia – diver attacked

Eric Nerhus, 41, escaped with his life, a broken nose and minor cuts to his torso, after a three to four metre Great White shark swallowed half his body, head first.

Nerhus, an Australian, was diving for abalone off Cape Howe, New South Wales, Australia, a place he’d dived hundreds of times previously. The attack took place on Tuesday 23 January 2007, while he was collecting abalone 25 feet below the surface. He was diving with his son and other divers, according to media reports.

"Half my body was in its mouth,” he told media.

“I went straight into its mouth, front onwards. My shoulders, my head and one arm went straight down into its throat. I could feel the teeth crunching up and down on my weight vest," he said.

It seems the lead-lined vest Nerhus was wearing as a diving weight saved his life.

He said he spent two minutes inside the shark's mouth, without his air supply, and with his head being crushed as the shark’s teeth scraped across his lead vest.

With his free arm he said "I felt down to the eye socket with my two fingers and poked them into the socket. The shark reacted by opening its mouth and I just tried to wriggle out. It was still trying to bite me.”

It crushed his goggles into his face breaking his nose. The goggles fell into its mouth.

Nerhus ascended slowly, trying to remain calm with the shark swimming tight circles around his swim fins.

"The big round black eye, five inches wide, was staring straight into my face with just not one hint of fear, of any boat, or any human, or any other animal in the sea.

"They have just got no fear, those sharks."

He son and tow other divers hoisted him into the fishing boat as the shark made another lunge for him.

"Just before I got out of the water it was just coming up under my legs again, so I'm sure it would've probably bit my legs off on the next one,” he said.

Nerhus was flown to hospital, where he managed to sit up in bed the next day to be interviewed by media.

Sources:
ABC News
Herald News Daily

SCARED -- 5 January 2007 -- Housings, Pacific Missile Range Facility, Kauai, Hawaii -- surfer attacked

A 24-year-old surfer from Waimea, Oahu, (name withheld by officials) was unhurt after a 6-8 foot unidentified shark attacked and bit a bite out of his board while he was surfing at Housings surf spot on Kauai, Hawaii. The attack took place at around 10.15am on Friday, 5 January 2007.

A Pacific Missile Range Facility information officer told media the shark bit a 13-inch chunk out of the front of his board.

"He was unhurt but obviously shaken up and thankful," the officer said. The surfer spoke to a resident at the base before driving away in his car, although it wasn't reported what he said.

According to Hawaii’s Star Bulletin he told Kauai staff members of the Department of Land and Natural Resources that the shark was between 6 and 8 feet, but he couldn’t identify the type.

No further details were reported.

Source:
Star Bulletin

Pic credit:
Tom Clements/Pacific Missile Range Facility

INJURED -- 18 December 2006 -- Winkipop, Melbourne, Australia -- surfer attacked

Peter Galvin, 25, was attacked by what witnesses described as 2.5 to 3 metre white pointer shark while surfing at Winkipop near Bells Beach, Melbourne, Australia.

The attack took place at dusk on 18 December 2006.

According to The Age Galvin received puncture wounds to the top of his calf and a major gash under his knee when he was attacked about 8pm.

He made his own way back to shore where bystanders tried to stem the blood flood flow while his surfing friend called paramedics.

Paramedics treated him at the scene before an air ambulance took him to Royal Melbourne Hospital.

A police spokeswoman at nearby Torquay told the newspaper: “A tooth was found in his wetsuit. He had been bitten from behind, resulting in wounds to his upper thigh and lower calf. He was very lucky to escape without being more seriously injured."

Sources:
The Age

INJURED -- 6 December 2006 -- Cape Vidal, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa -- angler attacked

A brief report in South Africa’s The Citizen newspaper says an angler with national colours, Peter Willoughby, 25, was bitten by a 150kg ragged tooth shark while trying to unhook it after catching the shark at Cape Vidal, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa.

The report said the incident happened at 7pm on 6 December 2006. Willoughby was standing in waist-deep, discoloured water when he caught the shark.

He was bitten on his hands, calf and thigh.

“In trying to unhook it, Willoughby was bitten on the hand and as he let go, a wave rolled the shark onto his body and he was bitten again.

"Willoughby lost a lot of blood and Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife staff immediately arranged for him to be taken to St Lucia, where Dr Jan Combrink treated him,” according to the report.

He received 63 stitches to his wounds.

A KZN wildlife park spokesman told the newspaper: “The young man was very lucky it was a raggie, which has sharp, pointed teeth rather than cutters.

“This provoked incident is the first of its kind along this coast.”

Sources:
The Citizen

INJURED -- 11 December 2006 -- Manu Bay, Raglan, New Zealand -- surfer attacked

Elliot Paerata-Reid, 10, was surfing with his father at Manu Bay, Raglan, New Zealand on Monday 11 December 2006 when he was bitten on the foot by a shark.

"I thought it was a rock at first, then it just came up and bit me," Elliot told the New Zealand Herald.

The boy received cuts to the base and top of his foot.

His father Jamarl Paerata told the newspaper: "I just thought it was a sort of a nudge, but I heard Elliot say 'get out, get out.' I said to him 'it's just a small one' but it rolled over and took off, and then I saw blood coming out of his foot."

He said the shark was the same size as Elliot, but did not know what type of shark it was.

Elliot told the newspaper that his father ditched his own board, asking another surfer to take care of it, and immediately began paddling in to shore with him.

Ashore, medics stitched up the wounds on his foot.

Elliot told media it was a shame the summer had got off to such a frightening start, but would be back in the surf when his wounds had healed.

Raglan is one of New Zealand's top surf spots and attracts surfers from around the world.


Sources:
New Zealand Herald

INJURED – 10 December 2006 – Dillon Beach Marin County, California, US – surfer attacked

Royce Frailey, 43, was suffered minor injuries when bitten on the leg by a 12-15 foot Great White shark while surfing with friends off Dillon Beach in northwest Marin County, California, United States.

The attack took place on Sunday 10 December 2006 at around 11.50am local time.

Marin County fire Captain Rick Wonneberger told media that Frailey was pulled 15 feet under the water before the shark let go. He said the board had teeth marks from the attack

According to the fire captain Frailey was paddling his board when the attack took place. A friend of Frailey’s who was surfing 10 feet away when the attack took place said he saw the 12-15 foot Great White shark.

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

Sources:
San Francisco Chronicle
CBS 5

NEW SHARK -- Shark under ice -- the mysterious Greenland shark

In the frigid, murky waters of the St. Lawrence River in Québec, UBC marine biologist and veterinarian Chris Harvey-Clark is painting a clearer picture of a mysterious predator that could be the longest-lived vertebrate on the
planet.

The Greenland shark typically inhabits the deep, dark waters between Greenland and the polar ice cap. At over six metres long and weighing up to 2,000 kilograms, it is the largest shark in the North Atlantic and the only shark in the world that lives under Arctic ice. Once heavily harvested for its vitamin A-rich oil -- as many as 50,000 were caught annually according to a 1948 estimate -- little is known about the animal.

For more on this story go to CDNN

or visit: Harvey-Clark's research at: www.geerg.ca

Teen attacked at Australia's Wharton Beach -- update

A teenager whose leg was bitten off by a great white shark told yesterday how he felt a "bit of a tug" as he was mauled by the 4m monster.

Zac Golebiowski, 15, had his right leg torn off from the knee when he was attacked as he surfed with his 18-year-old brother and a friend near Esperance, in Western Australia, on Saturday.

As the WA Government yesterday temporarily overturned a hunting ban on the endangered species, saying the shark responsible could be killed if it was found close to people, Zac told his family of the seemingly innocuous moment when he was grabbed.

• More from Australia's News.com

INJURED – 2 December 2006 -- Wharton Beach, Western Australia -- surfer attacked

Zak Golebiowski, 15, had part of his right leg bitten off while body boarding about 40 metres offshore of Wharton Beach at Duke of Orleans Bay, 70km east of Esperance, Western Australia.

The attack by a five-metre Great White shark took place around 7.40am local time.

Zak was surfing with his brother when the shark attacked. The shark bit off part of his right leg and severely lacerated and punctured his left leg. His brother and a friend managed to drag the badly mauled boy onto a surfboard and to shore, according to media reports.

On shore a fisherman, Pete Hickmott, and his partner Amy Worling used a sweatshirt and an electrical cord as a tourniquet to stem the bleeding and drove Zak to Esperance, where he was airlifted to the Royal Perth Hospital.

Doctors told media the boy was in a stable condition after surgery.

"The look on his face, the colour of his skin, he was grey. It wasn't too good," Hickmott told Perth's Sunday Times newspaper.

"All I heard was screams. Then I saw the pool of blood and the surfboard behind it. It wasn't good."

Peter Hudson, the owner of Esperance Fishing and Diving, told media the couple’s quick response was critical for the boy's survival. He said he has no doubt the couple contributed greatly to the survival of the young man and in a situation like that, immediate first aid is paramount.

Sources:
The Nation
Yahoo News
One News

SCARED -- 31 October 2006 -- Siletz River mouth, Lincoln City, Oregon, US -- surfer attacked

Tony Perez, 22, was surfing with two friends just before sundown about 300 metres offshore of the Siletz River mouth, Lincoln City, Oregon, US, when he was attacked by an estimated 16-17 foot great white shark, according to a report published 22 November in Oregon's The News Guard.

Perez escaped injury as the shark bit the back of his board and pulled it under water before releasing it and swimming away.

According to the newspaper:

"I didn't see a thing," the 22-year-old said.

"It hit out of nowhere," he said, snapping his fingers for emphasis. "That's the scariest thing about it.

You never know what's going to happen."

It happened this Halloween, just before sundown, when Perez and two friends were about 300 yards off the mouth of the Siletz River surfing some of the best waves of the season.

The trio had been surfing about two and a half hours and muscles were getting fatigued when one of his friends decided to pack it in, saying he had a strange feeling. All of the elements for "sharky water" were in place — sundown, off the mouth of a river, rainy weather with salmon running and seals. And to top it off, Perez, who had broken his surfboard in the morning, was using a loaner-board from The Oregon Surf Shop — a bright yellow loaner.

Some surfers believe yellow attracts sharks more than other colors, though shark experts say it isn't so.

"I guess Jeff left us out here for feeding time," Perez joked to the friend who'd stayed behind with him to catch a few more waves before the sun went down.

The words were barely out of his mouth when it happened.

"I felt a violent blast on the back of the board," said Perez, who was lying flat on his ride and just happened to have his legs bent with his feet up in the air. "It pulled me back and down, but my head didn't go under water.

My feet came down on top of it, and I felt this huge rock-hard body, just this big old beast below me."

"I just started swimming as fast as I could away from him toward my buddy who was about 15 feet away," Perez said. "I swam like mad. I didn't know what to do man."

Perez's board was still attached to his ankle by a short leash. He yanked it to him and jumped back on.

He told his friend, who hadn't seen a thing, what happened. His buddy thought Perez was joking at first.

"I'm not kidding," he said. "We gotta get out of here."

As luck would have it, there were no waves to catch — so it was one long, exhausting sprint to the beach, Perez said. "Of course, I was first to the beach."

As he paddled he thought maybe some huge, angry seal had hit him.

"Then I got to the beach and saw the teeth marks."

The telltale u-shaped bite marks of a large shark stretched from one side of the 16-inch-wide surf board to the other — and up a good 14 inches into its 5-foot-7-inch length.

The shark's mouth had opened wide enough to get around and over the three fins jutting from the end of the board, and the teeth marks it left behind on the board measured 2-inches across.

After examining photos of the board and measurements of the bite marks, shark expert Ralph Collier in Los Angeles, said the attack was indeed from a great white that he estimates was between 16- and 17-feet long and at least 4,000 pounds.

Perez's friend back on shore had seen a large splash behind Perez's board but figured it was a seal.

"I just got lucky," Perez said. "I happened to have my legs up, and that's it. Otherwise I would have been a pirate for Halloween."

Perez didn't see nor hear the shark approach.

"That's the thing about great whites, especially, quick, heavy attacks," he said. "But he bit into a hard, epoxy surfboard, and that's not what he wanted. He expected a big juicy seal and instead got a mouthful of plastic fins and not any bit of me, no blood or anything. So he just backed off."

"This year there's been more than usual, with four or five attacks, more sightings and more bumps," said Norman Eburn, manager of The Oregon Surf Shop in Lincoln City.

His theory: "It might have something to do with the dead-zone."

The dead zone to which he refers is a recent reoccurring phenomena of oxygen-depleted water stretching from the central Oregon coast to the central Washington coast that has killed marine life and forced some creatures closer to shore in search of food.

But none of that fazes Perez, who was out surfing the very next morning after the attack — albeit at a different spot.

"I'm not that crazy," Perez said. "I wrote that spot off for a little while. But surfing is all I do. It's really important to me. And after something like that, it's like lightning striking — hopefully, it won't happen again."

Source: The News Guard

Photo: News Guard photo by Garret Jaros

INJURED -- 9 November 2006 -- Nahoon River, East London, South Africa -- swimmer attacked

Richard Tebbutt was bitten on the left arm by a 1.5 metre Zambezi shark after he mistakenly grabbed it by the tail, thinking it was a fish a fisherman had on the end of his line.

In this rather odd incident which took place in the Nahoon River, close to the mouth, on Thursday 9 November 2006, Tebbutt was paddling his canoe on the river when he saw a fisherman struggling with a fish he had caught. Tebbutt jumped out of his canoe thinking he would assist the fisherman with his catch. He dived down and grabbed the fish by its tail, but it turned out to be a Zambezi shark, which turned and bit him on the left arm.

Tebbutt told the local newspaper, the Daily Dispatch: “I just jumped out of my canoe and dived down and grabbed the fish by its tail … I got a shock of my life when I saw a big Zambezi shark, charging towards me.

“The shark quickly turned around, grabbed my left arm and lacerated it. Within a split second, I saw my blood in the river.

“I just smacked the shark as hard as I could with my right arm to get it to let go of me.

“I was in the water holding my arm which was bleeding profusely, and the shark started coming towards me very fast.

“I immediately jumped out of the water onto the rocks and it missed me … I could have been dead by now.”

Tebbutt was helped by his son, also out paddling a canoe on the river. He was taken to St Dominics Hospital where he had 50 stitches.

He told the newspaper: “I was shocked that I had overcome the shark. Its strength was unbelievable.

“In my 30 years in surfing, I never thought I would have this kind of experience.”

There have been several shark attacks on surfers in the East London area over the years.

Zambezi sharks are renown for scavenging up rivers and in river mouths. They are also known as Bull sharks and are notorious for attacks on people around the world.

Sources:
Daily Dispatch

INJURED -- 11 November 2006 -- Kama'ole Beach Park II, Kihei, Maui, Hawaii -- swimmer attacked

Kyle Gruen, 29, was bitten on his left side by a shark while swimming about 30 to 40 feet offshore of Kama'ole Beach Park II, Kihei, Maui, Hawaii. His thigh and hand were injured in the attack which took place at 12.30 pm local time on Saturday 11 November 2006, according to a report in the Honolulu Advertiser.

Gruen was carried to shore by bystanders and taken to Maui Memorial Medical Center, where he was reported in a stable condition.

His twin brother Jeff Gruen, who was on the beach at the time of the attack told the newspaper: “He was swimming along when just all of a sudden it got him. He pulled away and kicked it off, and it took off right away."

The size or species of shark was not reported.

Sources: Honolulu Advertiser

INJURED -- 14 October 2006 -- Isla Blanca Park, South Padre Island, Texas, US -- surfer attacked

Surfer Freddy Torres, 20, was bitten on the lower left calf while surfing at Isla Blanca Park, South Padre Island, Texas, US on Saturday 14 October.

“Everything happened really fast. I thought a guy had come and hit me with his board then I felt something tearing through my skin, [near] my ankle somewhere,” Torres told media.

The bite measured 16 centimetres and went around his calf, according to the report.

Friends on the shore helped Torres get medical attention.

According to media, witnesses report seeing a 4 foot shark in the area that day.

No details were reported about the possible species of shark or where or what medical attention the victim received.

Sources:
KGBT 4

INJURED -- 10 October 2006 -- Daytona Beach, Volusia County, Florida, US -- surfer injured

A 20-year-old surfer, Kyle Cody, was bitten above the left ankle by a shark while watching bait fish in knee-deep water near the Ocean Walk Band Shell at Daytona Beach, Volusia County, Florida, US.

The brief report said the incident took place on Tuesday 10 October 2006.

His injuries were very minor and he was treated at the scene and walked away, although emergency crew attending his wound “advised him to get a stitch or two at a hospital”.

WESH 2 News quotes Cody as saying: “I was just standing there watching little fish jump and I felt a bite.

"We jumped out of the water. I never saw the fish or anything."

Media reports say this is the 11th shark bite in Volusia Country this year.

Sources:
MESH 2 News via Yahoo News
Central Florida News 13

INJURED -- 5 October 2006 ?? -- New Smyrna Beach, Volusia Country, Florida, US -- wader attacked

A brief report by Central Florida News 13 says an 18-year-old was bitten on the leg by a shark while he was playing ball in about 2 feet of water. The incident took place at New Smyrna Beach, Volusia Country, Florida, US. The name of the victim was not reported. And the date of the attack was not mentioned in the 6 October report, which said he was recovering and “was expected to be OK”.

The report quoted lifeguards as saying: “The inland jetty area, New Smyrna Beach sometimes has slightly more occurrence with sharks interacting with swimmers than the other parts of the beach, especially if there are bait pods cruising the area.”

There have been several incidents of shark bites at New Smyrna Beach this year.

No other details were mentioned.

Sources:
Central Florida News 13

INJURED -- 29 September 2006 -- Ponce de Leon Inlet, New Smyrna Beach, Florida, US -- surfer attacked

A brief report in the Daytona Beach News said Chris Andrews, 19, was bitten on the right foot by a shark while surfing at the south jetty of Ponce de Leon Inlet, New Smyrna Beach, Florida, about 2 pm on Friday 29 September.

He was treated on the beach for three lacerations to his big toe and a couple of other toes and was then taken by private car to Bert Fish Medical Center in New Smyrna. Hospital officials declined to comment on his condition, according to the report.

No other details were available.

Sources:
Daytona Beach News

INJURED -- 16 September 2006 -- Onslow Beach, North Carolina, US -- surfer attacked

Jake Poland, 16, was bitten on the left thigh by a 2-3 foot shark while surfing with friends at Onslow Beach, North Carolina, United States. The minor attack took place on Saturday morning 16 September 2006.

Poland was treated at Camp Lejeune Naval Hospital.

He told media he had just got off his surfboard in waist deep water when he felt something hit him on the leg.

“A wave came in and it felt like it knocked my board into my leg,” he said. It wasn’t until a friend pointed out that his shorts were shredded that he noticed a deep gash. Poland said he walked out of the water, while his two friends went to get help.

He had a jagged gash on his left thigh that went through the muscle. It required 10 stitches to sow the wound together.

Paul Barrington, director of husbandry and operations for the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher told the Daily News in Jacksonville that shark bites are pretty rare in North Carolina.

“There have only been about seven to 10 documented cases in the last 30 years or so,” he said.

Sources:
The Daily News

INJURED -- 14 September 2006 -- Singer Island, Florida, US -- swimmer attacked

Willie Carroll, 55, was bitten on the hand by a small shark off Singer Island in Riviera Beach, Florida, US, on Thursday, 14 September 2006.

Carroll told media that the shark was about 3 feet long and dark in colour.

Emergency workers took him to St Mary's hospital, where he was treated and released.

No other details were reported.

Source:
Yahoo news

INJURED - New Smyrna Beach... Part 2

A report from the Daytona Beach News-Journal Online -- East Volusia said a second person was attacked by a shark while swimming at New Smyrna Beach. Beside the attack on Christopher Duncan, 33, who as was standing in waist-deep water Sunday, 3 September, (near the 700 block of North Atlantic Avenue) when a 3-foot shark swam up and bit him on his right thigh, a child swimming in the water on Saturday (2 September) near the 4100 block of South Atlantic Avenue was bitten on the arm, according to Captain Scott Petersohn, Volusia County Beach Patrol spokesman. No other information was available.

INJURED -- 3 September 2006 -- New Smyrna Beach, Florida, US, -- swimmer attacked

Christopher Duncan was bitten on the right thigh by a small shark off New Smyrna Beach, Florida, US, on Sunday evening, 3 September.

Volusia County Beach Patrol officials said the shark was probably only about three feet long. The incident occurred about 5:30pm.

Duncan was taken to Bert Fish Medical Center in New Smyrna Beach.

No other details were reported.

Sources:
Orlando Sentinel

SCARED -- 2 September 2006 -- Noordhoek beach, Cape Town, South Africa -- surfer attacked

Surfer Steven Harcourt-Wood, 37, was surfing with friends at Noordhoek beach, Cape Town, South Africa on Saturday 2 September, when a 3.5-metre Great White tried to attack him while the other surfers looked on, according to a report on IOL.

He told the Cape Times: "It came at me, thrashing its tail and bashing the board.

"There was no doubt in my mind that he wanted to serve me up for dinner.”

The surfers were all caught in a flat spell in the surf and couldn’t get a wave to the beach.

"It was completely flat. We were stuck,” Harcourt-Wood said.

"And no one paddled away because the shark could have chased them.

"I was trying to get a look at its eyes and mouth so I could position myself correctly, but it was coming from far below the water."

Harcourt-Wood said he squared up to the shark and paddled at it face to face.

"I think that's what saved me. If you move fast or paddle away they are more likely to see you as prey and go for you," he told the newspaper.

"The sharks were never a problem in the past - they've always been there but they never used to attack people.

"I've seen small ones out at the back from time to time but this is different.

"Their behaviour has changed completely."

There is an ongoing debate in and around Cape Town whether chumming the water at nearby Gansbaai to encourage sharks to approach for shark-cage diving - a big tourist attraction - has lead to a noticeable increase in the number of unprovoked shark attacks in Cape Town waters in recent years.

Great White sharks are a protected species in South Africa.

Sources:
IOL

INJURED -- 29 August 2006 -- South Jetty, Florence, Oregon, US -- surfer attacked

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

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

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

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.

“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."

Source: IOL

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

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

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

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