READINGTON TWP. — In July 1960, a sand tiger shark attacked then 24-year-old John Brodeur and ripped through his right thigh as he stood in the ocean at the Sea Girt beach.

50 years later, the Readington Township resident is grateful he lived through it to experience 40 years of marriage with his wife Celine, and life with his four children, seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

“I’m very happy with my life. It was just an incident along the way,” said Brodeur, a retired accountant, who has been featured in books about sharks and was once a guest on the “O’Reilly Factor.”

Brodeur was told the shark had been a 12- to 17-foot sand tiger shark, judging from the teeth marks in his leg, At the time of the attack, he was standing farther out than other bathers, his feet firmly planted in the sand.

“I ride waves and I was getting ready to ride a wave in,” Brodeur said. “I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“I saw this big black thing coming toward me — I thought it was a telephone pole,” he said. The shark was long and black, and there had been a bad storm earlier that week.

When the shark bit him, Brodeur slapped the top of the shark’s head with his hand, and “eventually it let go,” he said.

“The lifeguard pulled me out of the water and then dropped me in the sand,” Brodeur continued. “My right thigh was all torn open.”

Celine Brodeur, who was not present at the time but knows the story well, said the young lifeguard panicked. “It’s not every day you get a shark attack,” she said.

A Marine veteran named Norman Porter, from the Bronx, took his belt off and used it to apply a tourniquet to Brodeur’s leg to slow the bleeding until he could be taken to the hospital. Because his nerves were severed and he was in shock, Brodeur does not recall feeling much pain.

He still thinks highly of Porter. “He saved my life. I was a lucky man.”

Celine noted that Porter has passed away, “but he’s been my husband’s hero.”

Brodeur’s leg had to be amputated, and he spent three months recovering in the hospital. Now with a prosthetic leg, he can’t run, but he can walk, and he enjoys playing tennis.

“I still go to the beach,” he said. In fact, the Brodeurs and their children will be taking a family vacation in Cape May this summer.

“He never, ever let one thing stand in his way,” his wife said. “It was never a handicap to him.”

In spite of the attack, John said he has always loved swimming in the ocean. But he warns other swimmers to be careful, especially because it is not always true that sharks will only attack someone who is already bleeding.

“Make sure that there are lifeguards, and other people in the water,” Brodeur warned.

via Shark attack!!! 50 years later, Readington man tells of having his leg mauled | NJ.com.

Is it just me or has there been an awful lot of shark news lately? Hint: it’s not just me.

Not one, but two attacks took place last Friday when a shark bit a 6-year-old girl in South Carolina and another shark bit a 13-year-old from North Carolina. And in early June a shark bit an 18-year-old girl in Georgia. Fortunately, no limbs (or lives!) were lost.

But there have also been several shark sightings in the Hamptons near New York City, and recently and a great white shark was caught and then released in Massachusetts.

Now the U.S. National Park Service has announced that they are issuing an “enter waters at your own risk” warning for the area around Santa Barbara Island in Southern California. The Wednesday warning was due to three great white shark attacks on sea lions in the area and is in effect until further notice.

Holiday weekend, beautiful locations, and great white sharks. This sounds either like a movie plot or one of my worst nightmares.

And in a crazy coincidence, this summer marks the 35th anniversary of the release of Jaws. Which, if you didn’t already know, features one of the creepiest movie scenes ever, where the old fisherman, Quint, recounts the story of the USS Indianapolis. Terrifying!

via Shark Attack 2010: Feds Warn Southern California About Great Whites – TIME NewsFeed.

Standing next to his young daughter in waist-deep water off Fripp Island on Friday afternoon, Craig Morris felt something softly nudge his leg.

Seconds later, something pulled 6-year-old Ella under the water.

That “something” was a shark, he said.

The 37-year-old father of three quickly pulled the child to the surface.

That’s when he saw the blood and the 9-inch gash on the little girl’s leg, said Heidi Morris, Craig’s wife and Ella’s mother.

“He threw the boogie board they had been using (away) and squeezed her leg together,” said Heidi Morris of the 1 p.m. incident near the Fripp Island Beach Club. “Then he carried her up the beach and booked it to the fire house. There was lots of blood. You could see her bone.”

A Beaufort County paramedic and Fripp Island Fire officers treated Ella until an ambulance arrived and took her to Beaufort Memorial Hospital.

It took 22 stitches to close the bite. Ella was released later that day, Heidi Morrris said.

The family, including sons Jackson, 8, and Parker, 9, of Marietta, Ga., were enjoying the final day of a week-long vacation when the incident occurred, she said. It was their first time vacationing on Fripp.

“We just loved it,” she said. “Earlier in the day, I had even posted pictures and a comment on my Facebook page that we were so happy with our experience. Later that day, I had to tell people about the shark.”

A RARE OCCURRENCE

Emergency room doctors told the family the shark was probably small, between four and five feet long, Heidi Morris said.

Mel Bell, director of the Office of Fisheries Management for the S.C. Department of Natural Resources, agreed.

Ella’s wound looked like four smaller bites in a row, probably from a small shark. Typically, a swimmer would see the dorsal fin of a larger animal before it struck, Bell said.

“What you have with sharks is a test bite, to see what it is,” he said. “Then they usually take off, because you’re not a desired food item.”

DNR Sgt. Michael Paul Thomas said Tuesday there is no way to confirm whether the youngster’s wound was inflicted by a shark.

Because shark attacks are so rare, there is no protocol for reporting bites.

In South Carolina, the most recent shark attack that resulted in death was in 1883, Bell said.

“We’re still not sure what kind of shark it was,” he said.

In July 2006, an Ohio man said he was bitten by a shark at Hilton Head Island’s Singleton Beach. The wound required about a dozen stitches on his leg above his ankle. Authorities never confirmed the attack as the work of a shark, but the man said the teeth marks and puncture wounds were evidence enough for him.

In June of that year, a Missouri girl was bitten while playing in about two feet of water near the Breakers resort area of Coligny Beach.

Earlier in the month, a 14-year-old girl was bitten while swimming off Pawleys Island while a 21-year-old woman suffered a foot injury during a shark encounter off Kiawah Island.

Still, shark bites are relatively rare occurrences.

According to statistics compiled by the Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File, people are 30 times more likely to be struck by lightning.

Thomas said tracking the area shark population is not an exact science, but called the number robust.

“We always have a fairly large number of sharks in our waters,” Thomas said.

He attributed that to deep waters, healthy estuaries and plenty of fish to eat.

“Port Royal and St. Helena sounds are two deep areas for them to come into and spawn, and we have an abundance of fish,” Thomas said.

‘I’M NOT SCARED’

While the incident left her parents shaken, Ella was the picture of courage and composure.

Her mother was amazed at the child’s attitude in the emergency room.

“She was fine, acted like there was absolutely nothing wrong,” Heidi Morris said.

Since the encounter, the six-year-old has continued to be upbeat and chatty, her mother said.

“Yesterday (Monday) all day, she wore a shark T-shirt,” she said.

Her parents said they were happy there was no severe nerve or muscle damage. A doctor said Monday the youngster’s wound was healing well and she should be up and walking in a day or two, her mother said.

Minutes before the attack, Ella had been in the water alone, her mother said.

“We were lucky, because her dad came up and put his arms around her right before it happened,” she said. “I think she felt safe because her daddy was right there.”

“I’m not scared,” Ella told her mother after the attack.

She said something else, too.

“I’ll go back in the water.”

via Ga. girl ‘upbeat’ after being bitten by shark off Fripp Island | islandpacket.com.

Standing next to his young daughter in waist-deep water off Fripp Island on Friday afternoon, Craig Morris felt something softly nudge his leg.

Seconds later, something pulled 6-year-old Ella under the water.

That “something” was a shark, he said.

The 37-year-old father of three quickly pulled the child to the surface.

That’s when he saw the blood and the 9-inch gash on the little girl’s leg, said Heidi Morris, Craig’s wife and Ella’s mother.

“He threw the boogie board they had been using (away) and squeezed her leg together,” said Heidi Morris of the 1 p.m. incident near the Fripp Island Beach Club. “Then he carried her up the beach and booked it to the fire house. There was lots of blood. You could see her bone.”

A Beaufort County paramedic and Fripp Island Fire officers treated Ella until an ambulance arrived and took her to Beaufort Memorial Hospital.

It took 22 stitches to close the bite. Ella was released later that day, Heidi Morrris said.

The family, including sons Jackson, 8, and Parker, 9, of Marietta, Ga., were enjoying the final day of a week-long vacation when the incident occurred, she said. It was their first time vacationing on Fripp.

“We just loved it,” she said. “Earlier in the day, I had even posted pictures and a comment on my Facebook page that we were so happy with our experience. Later that day, I had to tell people about the shark.”

A RARE OCCURRENCE

Emergency room doctors told the family the shark was probably small, between four and five feet long, Heidi Morris said.

Mel Bell, director of the Office of Fisheries Management for the S.C. Department of Natural Resources, agreed.

Ella’s wound looked like four smaller bites in a row, probably from a small shark. Typically, a swimmer would see the dorsal fin of a larger animal before it struck, Bell said.

“What you have with sharks is a test bite, to see what it is,” he said. “Then they usually take off, because you’re not a desired food item.”

DNR Sgt. Michael Paul Thomas said Tuesday there is no way to confirm whether the youngster’s wound was inflicted by a shark.

Because shark attacks are so rare, there is no protocol for reporting bites.

In South Carolina, the most recent shark attack that resulted in death was in 1883, Bell said.

“We’re still not sure what kind of shark it was,” he said.

In July 2006, an Ohio man said he was bitten by a shark at Hilton Head Island’s Singleton Beach. The wound required about a dozen stitches on his leg above his ankle. Authorities never confirmed the attack as the work of a shark, but the man said the teeth marks and puncture wounds were evidence enough for him.

In June of that year, a Missouri girl was bitten while playing in about two feet of water near the Breakers resort area of Coligny Beach.

Earlier in the month, a 14-year-old girl was bitten while swimming off Pawleys Island while a 21-year-old woman suffered a foot injury during a shark encounter off Kiawah Island.

Still, shark bites are relatively rare occurrences.

According to statistics compiled by the Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File, people are 30 times more likely to be struck by lightning.

Thomas said tracking the area shark population is not an exact science, but called the number robust.

“We always have a fairly large number of sharks in our waters,” Thomas said.

He attributed that to deep waters, healthy estuaries and plenty of fish to eat.

“Port Royal and St. Helena sounds are two deep areas for them to come into and spawn, and we have an abundance of fish,” Thomas said.

‘I’M NOT SCARED’

While the incident left her parents shaken, Ella was the picture of courage and composure.

Her mother was amazed at the child’s attitude in the emergency room.

“She was fine, acted like there was absolutely nothing wrong,” Heidi Morris said.

Since the encounter, the six-year-old has continued to be upbeat and chatty, her mother said.

“Yesterday (Monday) all day, she wore a shark T-shirt,” she said.

Her parents said they were happy there was no severe nerve or muscle damage. A doctor said Monday the youngster’s wound was healing well and she should be up and walking in a day or two, her mother said.

Minutes before the attack, Ella had been in the water alone, her mother said.

“We were lucky, because her dad came up and put his arms around her right before it happened,” she said. “I think she felt safe because her daddy was right there.”

“I’m not scared,” Ella told her mother after the attack.

She said something else, too.

“I’ll go back in the water.”

via Ga. girl ‘upbeat’ after being bitten by shark off Fripp Island | islandpacket.com.

JACKSONVILLE BEACH – A woman bitten on the leg in the ocean near 16th Avenue South has prompted the annual summer vigilance for potential shark activity.

The 18-year-old woman was bitten about 2 p.m. Thursday in waist-deep water a few feet from shore, said Jacksonville Beach Ocean Rescue Capt. Thomas Wright. She was treated at Baptist Medical Center-Beaches for the minor bite wound, which was described as an outline of a small mouth with teeth.

Wright said the woman was bitten by something, but officials aren't sure it was a shark. Barracudas, bluefish and stingrays can bite or sting, he said.

“Unless it's a missing limb or something, I wouldn't necessarily call it a shark attack,” said Wright. “It's likely there is a lot of life in the water right now. The water's warming up.”

He said sharks, such as black tips and spinners, are migrating to their nursing grounds as far north as North Carolina.

Lifeguards along Jacksonville's Beaches haven't spotted large numbers of sharks recently, he said.

The incident had little impact on beachgoers. Many people were still in the water near the site after it happened Thursday. Even more people were at the beach Friday, since that was the last day of classes for many schools.

Jacksonville Beach Mayor Fland Sharp said he doesn't want to downplay any attack. But beachgoers have acclimated to the ocean's realities.

“We've had a shark attack what seems like every two or three years,” Sharp said. “There were a couple things that looked like they were shark bites and a couple things looked like it was something else.”

Sharp, a former lifeguard, said people should keep shark threats in perspective.

“If I was coming down here and felt a little uncomfortable, just walk up to a lifeguard on a chair” and ask if there are any reported shark sightings, he said. “I think the odds are much greater of being struck by lightning.”

Sharp said there are some simple rules to follow.

“In the summertime, there are pods of bait fish that come close to shore,” he said. “You definitely don't want to go swimming around those because there are sharks and other kinds of fish that are feeding around those. There are sharks here and you just have to use some common sense about it.”

Wright said it has been about four years since a shark attack in the area and that was at the Jacksonville Beach Pier off Fourth Avenue North. The woman's injuries were minor then, too. He advised swimmers to remember the ocean is the shark's habitat.

“Just know that is their home and they are out there all the time,” said Wright. “Just because you don't see fins swimming by like the movie “Jaws” doesn't mean they're not there. If you're concerned about being bit or anything, you probably shouldn't go out there.”

via Attack on woman in Jacksonville Beach waters may have been shark, raises concern | jacksonville.com.

Fatal shark attacks are rare anywhere in the world, with an average of about five recorded each year globally, but in New England, it's virtually unheard of.

Sightings near local beaches, however, have become an annual occurrence.

A sighting Saturday, which was captured by a Coast Guard camera off York Beach, Maine, appears to be a pair of juvenile basking sharks about 12 feet long, said Dr. John Mandelman, a research biologist at the New England Aquarium.

Though basking sharks are considered harmless to humans, with no positive species identification to work with over the weekend, lifeguards at Hampton Beach patrolled the waters for anything unusual.

“Any large animal, depending on what constitutes a threat, is potentially hazardous in their natural environment due to their sheer size,” Mandelman said. “But a basking shark would never attack a human. They are called basking sharks because the theory is they bask in the sun. They are passive filter feeders.”

Basking sharks are 5 to 7 feet long when born and, in rare instances, grow to as big as 40 feet. While it's early for a sighting so far north, young basking sharks are known to wander close to shore, Mandelman said.

Another sighting a mile off Cape Neddick in southern Maine on Thursday is said to have been a 10-foot porbeagle shark.

Though the sharks are likely chasing a meal and pose little to no threat to humans, these latest shark sightings serve as a reminder that many sharks do swim in local ocean waters.

“There are 15 species of sharks that exist in New England waters that wouldn't be unusual to see in a given instance,” Mandelman said. “There are tons of sharks in New England waters that get close to shore across a myriad of species, especially in the summer months.”

In 2005, ABC news correspondent Jay Schadler, who has his art studio in Amesbury, was swimming off Plum Island when he reported seeing a shark. It, too, turned out to be a basking shark.

There are other species lurking in the deep off New England, however, including makos, tiger sharks and even great whites.

Last year, scientists were shocked by the sighting of several great white sharks off Monomoy Island near Chatham over Labor Day weekend, five of which were tagged for future study. The sharks passed within 75 yards of Hollywood Beach, prompting officials to close the beach to swimmers.

A group of fishermen looking for tuna off Dartmouth last August hooked a 624-pound mako.

And while local shark attacks aren't common, they are not unprecedented.

Joseph Troy, 16, of Dorchester, was swimming with a friend of his uncle in about 10 feet of water, an estimated 150 yards off Mattapoisett in Buzzards Bay in July 1936, when a white shark grabbed his leg and pulled him down. He was rescued and brought to shore but died in surgery.

His was the last fatal shark attack recorded in New England.

Most documented shark attacks in the U.S. take place in Hawaii or Florida, where a 38-year-old kite surfer lost his life in a shark attack in February.

Local dorsal fin sightings are much more likely to be the aforementioned basking sharks or ocean sunfish, another surface sunbather with a large fin that can be mistaken as a shark.

For swimmers, however, common sense still prevails, Mandelman said.

“Swim in pairs, don't swim at dawn or dusk, and don't swim where marine mammals are present,” he said, noting seals can sometimes attract the wrong kind of attention. “The marine mammals tend to be pretty hazardous themselves.”

via Sharks spotted off New England shores » Local News » NewburyportNews.com, Newburyport, MA.

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LEO Mulherin can remember when part of the Caneland Central site was a creek: in fact he witnessed a fatal shark attack at the popular swimming spot when he was 10.

“Half the town learnt to swim in Dump Creek,” Mr Mulherin said. “We used to go down and drag for prawns with our father. He didn’t have a permanent job and he used to sell them (the prawns) around the place.

“The creek was only about 30m wide, so he’d swim across in the deep part and we’d stay in the shallow part.”

Mr Mulherin, his brother Pat and their cousin Dezzy witnessed the shark attack that killed Frank Gurran, a 20-year-old railway worker, while fishing at the creek on December 18, 1939.

“We dragged out three or four, or it might have been four or five, little sharks. My father said the mother shark would come back as soon as the tide started to make. He said, ‘whatever you do, don’t go swimming there today’.”

Mr Mulherin said Mr Gurran, who arrived in a rowing boat, was attacked by the shark when he dived in to the water.

“As soon as he surfaced he yelled out ‘shark!’. We thought he was mucking around, but… we saw all this blood.”

The boys ran for help, however, Mr Gurran died three days later.

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A man was killed by sharks in a rare fatal attack this afternoon in the waters off Stuart, authorities said.

Stephen Howard Schafer, 38, of Stuart was kite surfing south of Stuart Beach about 4:15 p.m. when the sharks attacked him, according to Bureau Chief Doug Killane of Martin County Fire-Rescue and Martin County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Rhonda Irons.

A lifeguard through his binoculars spotted the man floating about a quarter-mile offshore in an unguarded stretch of ocean, Irons said. The lifeguard paddled to him on a rescue board, pulled the man away from the sharks and carried him back to shore.

Rescue workers gave the man CPR before paramedics brought him to Martin Memorial Hospital, where he died.

The Martin County Sheriff’s Office was investigating the death, said sheriff’s Capt. Mark McKinley.

“I’ve been here 25 years,” McKinley said. “To my knowledge, this is the first shark-related fatality we’ve seen.”

In fact, Palm Beach, Martin and St. Lucie counties have all escaped fatal shark attacks until now, according to the International Shark Attack File compiled at the University of Florida’s Florida Museum of Natural History

Schafer’s friends told TCPalm.com they are shocked by his death.

“I’ve never heard of multiple sharks in this area surrounding someone and fatally wounding him,” said the victim’s childhood friend, Teague Taylor, 36. “He was the nicest person ever.”

On Tuesday, the day before the fatal attack, Taylor told TCPalm.com he was surfing near where his friend was attacked and he saw several sharks.

“You always think in the back of your mind that they (sharks) are out there,” he said.

Jordan Schwartz, who has known Schafer for five years, told TCPalm.com that Schafer was a very experienced kiteboard surfer.

“He was a super nice guy. Always mellow. I don’t think he had any enemies,” he said.

Sharks have been gathering along Palm Beach County beaches recently in their annual chase of baitfish, Palm Beach County Ocean Rescue Lt. Don May said last week when a hammerhead shark was caught off Ocean Reef Park.

Lemon, bull and hammerhead sharks often are seen off area beaches this time of year, Palm Beach County Ocean Rescue Lt. Don May said.

It was unknown whether Stuart Beach would be open Thursday.

According to the International Shark Attack File compiled at the University of Florida’s Florida Museum of Natural History, Martin County had never had a fatal shark attack before. A person was killed in Indian River County in 1998.

The last shark-bite fatality in Florida was in 2005, according to the file, in Walton County in the Panhandle.

However, in 2008, Florida had the most unprovoked attacks in the United States — the total of 32 attacks was equal to the 32 reported in 2007. Surfers/windsurfers were at highest risk, with nearly 57 percent of the reported attacks in the report’s compilation.

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NORTH AMERICA’S TOP SHARK-ATTACK BEACHES

Stephen RegenoldMay 13, 2009
 

 LAUNCH SLIDESHOW

Where to swim at your own risk in North America

 

The year was 1916, and a hot July had delivered thousands of beachgoers to the Jersey Shore. Waves shrugged on the sand, and swimmers bobbed in their bloomers and caps, escaping the heat in the surf and swells of tepid Atlantic waters.

See our slideshow of North America’s Shark-Attack Beaches.

 What happened next—beginning with a death on Long Beach Island—would forever alter America’s collective consciousness toward swimming in the sea: In an unprecedented 11 days, five major shark attacks took place along the Jersey Shore, four of which were fatal.

Reports cited blood turning the water red and sharks following victims toward the beach. Dorsal fins spiked from placid water. Appropriately, a media frenzy ensued. Patrol boats were deployed to kill sharks offshore. Some beaches installed wire mesh to sequester swimmers from anything big and toothy out beyond the break.

 America has never recovered. Indeed, the Jersey Shore attacks of 1916—though an anomaly never seen before or since—branded an image of sharks as monsters that has trickled now through several generations.

“The common public perception today of a shark is that of a man-eater,” said George Burgess, an ichthyologist at the University of Florida who maintains a database called the International Shark Attack File. “We have an innate fear for big predators and natural forces we can’t control.” But as Burgess and others point out, death by shark bite is extremely rare. Shark experts cite statistics to show you can swim and surf with nary a worry at almost any beach on the planet. You are not a seal. Sharks do not want to eat you.

Or do they?

The International Shark Attack File (ISAF), which relies on decades of data, cites more than 2,000 fatal encounters. At beaches like New Smyrna, the cold statistics can become frighteningly real. To date, 210 attacks have been reported there, and in 2007, three swimmers were bitten by sharks and hospitalized.

See our slideshow of North America’s Shark-Attack Beaches.

 Despite the paranoia, millions of people each year surf and swim—literally—with the sharks.

 A top example is New Smyrna Beach in Volusia County, Fla., where Burgess said tiger and black-tip sharks thrive. “Most people who have swum in and around New Smyrna have been within 10 feet of a shark in their lifetime,” he said.

 In Northern California—where deep waters and seal populations draw great white sharks—surfers suit up at places like Stinson Beach to catch waves in a potentially deadly habitat. Patric Douglas, owner of Shark Diver, an ocean guiding outfit in San Francisco, calls Stinson “the granddaddy of all shark beaches.” He said, “It’s common to see 18-footers buzz by surfers bobbing in the waves.”

North America is home to dozens of beaches like New Smyrna where swimmers and sharks intermix, even though the humans may never know it. When the rare attack happens, Burgess said, it’s usually a predatory mistake. “In the surf zone, where many attacks happen, sharks need to make quick decisions,” he said. “Humans on surfboards—hands splashing, feet kicking—can trigger a shark to think there’s trouble or a wounded animal, and it looks like an easy meal.”

 With its thousands of miles of coastlines and millions of beachgoers, the United States sees more shark-human interaction than any other country. Search the ISAF database and you’ll find incidents at beaches from South Carolina to Oregon. There are so many reports, in fact, that California, Florida, Hawaii, North Carolina and Texas each have dedicated sections in the ISAF.

See our slideshow of North America’s Shark-Attack Beaches.

On the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, tiger and hammerhead sharks mix with dolphins and humpback whales. There are dozens of popular surf beaches there, including Velzyland Beach and the Leftovers Break to name two. Though untold thousands surf and swim there each year without incident, attacks do occur.

But according to Laleh Mohajerani, executive director of the shark conservation organization Iemanya Oceanica, sharks are not looking to interfere with humans in the water. Our shark-attack fears are irrational, she said. “You are more likely to be hit by lightning.”

 Indeed, there’s no arguing the numbers. Of the millions of people who enter the ocean each year, almost none are touched.

 But for most people, fiery emotions override even the coldest numbers. A single scary story—be it on the news or in an effects-heavy Hollywood production—will destroy the efforts of hundreds of scientists trying to communicate on research and logic.

From Hawaii to the Caribbean, there are 10 beaches among the most infamous for sharks on the planet. Take a dip if you dare.

See our slideshow of North America’s Shark-Attack Beaches.

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Great essay about sharks. Here’s an excerpt. Make sure to read the whole thing.

Four things EVERYONE needs to know about sharks

1) Sharks do not represent a serious threat to human beings. Yes, some people have died as a result of shark encounters, and any human death is a tragedy, but it is important to keep in mind the relative risk of a shark attack. Of the over 500 species of sharks worldwide, fewer than a dozen have ever been known to kill a human. In an average year, over 650,000 Americans die as a result of heart disease, giving me a 1 in 5 chance of dying of heart disease in my lifetime. In an average year, over 550,000 Americans die from cancer, giving me a 1 in 7 chance of dying from cancer in my lifetime. In an average year, over 40,000 Americans die in car accidents, giving me a 1 in 84 chance of dying in a car accident in my lifetime. In an average year, 1 American dies from a shark attack, giving me a 1 in 3,748,067 chance of dying from a shark attack in my lifetime.

Again, any human death is a tragedy, but when you have a 1 in 5 chance of dying from heart disease and a 1 in 4 million chance of dying from a shark attack, should we really be so concerned about the threat to us that sharks represent?

Millions of Americans spend time in the oceans each year. Sharks have been evolving incredible sensory systems, part of what makes them such incredible hunters, for over 400 million years. They can also swim a great deal faster than we can. If they wanted to attack humans, a lot more than one American a year would be killed by a shark.  Sharks are simply not a serious threat to us.

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I wouldn’t really like the waters being chummed near where I swimming either.

Swimmers upset about chumming

By Tami Osborne, WINK News

Story Created: May 6, 2009 at 11:57 PM EDT

Story Updated: May 6, 2009 at 11:57 PM EDT 

LITTLE HICKORY ISLAND, Fla. – Swimmers in the northern part of Little Hickory Island in Bonita Beach say people are fishing for sharks too close to their swimming holes. Now, they want the city to do something about it.

“We’re in the water here, and they’re over there throwing stuff in the water, bringing sharks into the water. How insane is that?” Tanya Marsh says.

What the anglers are doing is called chumming. They toss a mixture of fish blood and guts into the water with a goal of catching a shark. But beach-goers say they’re doing it too close to them.

“Its a little ridiculous, that you’re going to fish for sharks right here, when people are swimming out here,” Chris Caliendo says.

According to the International Shark Attack File, Lee County has seen only a handful of shark bites in the last 100 years, and never a fatal attack.

Still, with the complaints coming to the surface, the Bonita Springs City Attorney is asking the council whether they feel some regulations on chumming are needed.

While some beach-goers are all for it, anglers say fishing already has too many regulations and doesn’t need any more.

“The sharks are going to be out here, whether there’s someone chumming or not,” Jonathan Stokes says.

“If you don’t want to be where they’re catching fish, don’t swim where they’re standing in the water casting out there,” Master Bait & Tackle owner Ken Strasen says.

The Bonita Springs City Council has tabled the issue until its next meeting on May 20th.

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The Ocean’s Most Fearsome Predators Written By Jim W. Harper    NO, IT’S NOT SHARKS — IT HOMO SAPIENS   What’s the one word you don’t want to hear at the beach? No, it’s not what you think. “Police!” In 2003 a police SUV ran over and killed a French tourist sunbathing on Miami Beach. If you were thinking “shark,” you should know that no tourist in Miami has ever died from a shark attack. In fact there has never been a confirmed death by shark in Miami.  Peter Benchley, the creator ofJaws, spent his later years fighting to save sharks. I saw him speak about shark conservation at the University of Miami shortly before he died in 2006. Sharks had become the victim, he realized, and man had become the jaws of death. Every year some 100 million wild sharks are killed by man. How many men are killed annually by sharks? About ten. The real difference, however, is that the human population and its capacity to harvest the sea is rising, whereas the shark and other fish populations are shrinking. It’s the same sad story in the sea as on land: Man is taking too much and caring too little. Global studies on sharks estimate that their populations have shriveled in the past century by 90 percent. Moreover, those that remain are being pursued more relentlessly than ever. But why care about such a dangerous animal? The answer is essentially the same as the answer about insects and snakes and bears. People may find them terrifying and inconvenient, but their existence is linked to everything that humans depend on. Balanced watersheds, including their inhabitants from the microscopic to the intimidating, provide clean drinking water. Insects pollinate our crops; animals are our main source of protein. It’s the simple circle of life that makes each species valuable. Sharks are valued for their fins. Shark-fin soup is a delicacy in Chinese culture, and demand for shark fins has skyrocketed as East Asian countries have gained wealth. Check out the 2007 documentary Sharkwater to gain insight on this international market and inhumane fishery. The most barbaric fishers will slice the fins off of live sharks and dump the living bodies back into the water to die a slow death. They don’t want to carry the extra weight of the shark’s body, which is much less valuable than the fins. Shark-finning is illegal in the U.S. and many other countries, but the practice is nearly impossible to regulate on the high seas. It requires a correction from the marketplace. One guy in Miami could care less about the fate of sharks. “Mark the Shark” runs a popular charter-fishing operation and claims to be the world’s leading shark fisherman. Sportfishing is not the main enemy of sharks (industrial fishing is), but killing sharks for sport gives the impression that there are many to spare. At the other end of the spectrum are shark conservationists, and South Florida is home to many of the world’s best. The granddaddy of shark conservation is Sonny Gruber, a Miami Beach native who founded the Bimini Shark Lab and retired not long ago from the University of Miami. Following in his flippers is current doctoral candidate at UM and great-white-shark fanatic Neil Hammerschlag, who has led several groups of South Florida high school students on shark expeditions to Africa. Check out his conservation Website and awesome shark photos at neil4sharks.org. At the University of Florida is the International Shark Attack File. It runs one of my favorite Websites, which attempts to answer the question on every beachgoer’s mind: How long will it be before I’m attacked and killed by a rouge shark? The data tells us that Florida leads the world in shark attacks. The good news is that the vast majority of attacks are not deadly, and they are concentrated in the state’s northeastern quadrant (be careful in Daytona Beach). According to the International Shark Attack File, the Florida Keys has not had a fatal shark attack since 1952 and Miami-Dade since 1961, although Broward registered a fatality in 2001. Both of these fatalities involved scuba divers, as did a fatality last year in the Bahamas, where diving expeditions feed sharks. Shark-feeding is banned in Florida. What’s the total number of shark attacks in Miami-Dade during the past century? Ten. Fatalities? One. What’s the number of attacks in Florida from the great white, the shark portrayed in Jaws? Zero. More facts: Most attacks occur on surfers. Alligator attacks in Florida are less common but more deadly. More people are killed annually by dogs, but those attacks don’t make the news. Simply put, sharks are not out to get us, but they do bite. If they taste a surfer, they usually spit it out. They much prefer turtles and seals. Humans, on the other hand, are definitely out to eliminate the shark, although most people remain ignorant of the pillage. Instead of adding ignorance to fear, be aware of this situation and study it. You will find that sharks deserve more than just respect. They need protection — like the wolf and the polar bear and the sea turtle. Add this bumper sticker to your collection: Man Attacks Shark. Save the Shark.

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Zihuatanejo surfers hope last May’s deadly shark-attack spree was a fluke

8:30 AM, May 1, 2009

Last May was a deadly and precarious month for surfers visiting the sun-drenched beaches north of Zihuatanejo in the Mexican state of Guerrero.

Bull sharks, for some reason, gathered in large numbers. They were believed responsible for killing two surfers. A third surfer, Bruce Grimes, was more fortunate. The estimated nine-foot shark that raked his arm and hand (pictured, at right) after bumping his surfboard in an apparent attempt to knock him from it, did not pursue Grimes as he paddled toward shore.

The attacks, which occurred within a three-week period, generated “Jaws”-like mania and led to the erection of lifeguard towers and establishment of a shark patrol along a stretch of coastline that seasonally lures hundreds of surfers from Southern California and elsewhere.

Now it’s May once more and some might be wondering whether the phenomenon will be repeated.

In the aftermath of last season’s attacks I toured the beaches with Ed Kunze, a longtime resident and fishing guide. We also visited Majahua, a village of commercial fishermen, who keep close tabs on shark activity. They refused to dive last May but are currently combing the bottom for oysters, octopus and conch.

Ramon Caranza told Kunze this week that there “may not be” as many sharks in the area this season. More important, he said, there’s an abundant supply of natural food, making sharks less dangerous to humans. Last May, Caranza said, natural food was scarce and whatever he caught in his nets was preyed upon by sharks. Caranza spoke as he repaired gaping holes in his home-fashioned monofilament nets.

George Burgess, a shark expert at the University of Florida, labeled Caranza’s theory “an interesting mix of observation and speculation.” Burgess said last year’s congregation of sharks was probably the result of unusual oceanographic conditions. He also visited the region last year and noted that two of the surfers were attacked near river mouths, which are known to attract sharks during high runoff periods.

That runoff season is just getting underway. Surfers are riding waves and more surfers are expected over the coming weeks. There are bound to be shark sightings or alleged sightings. Already a small shark was reportedly seen in a wave face at Troncones, site of a fatal attack last May.

More than likely, last year’s spate of attacks was a fluke and won’t be repeated. But if you ask me, anyone surfing down there alone, near one of the river mouths, is asking for trouble. 

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Tiger sharks hit-and-run hunters, research shows

Wide-ranging predators use element of surprise, don’t linger after kill

By Christie Wilson

Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawai’i's tiger sharks roam large expanses and make brief, infrequent visits to shallow coastal sites used by swimmers and surfers, according to a new study.

Their wide-ranging movements and long absences between quick visits to a location may be a hunting strategy that prevents prey from anticipating when tiger sharks will appear, said Carl Meyer, a biologist with the Hawai’i Institute for Marine Biology.

“After arriving at a reef site, tiger sharks probably have only a short window in which to successfully ambush prey because potential quarry soon detect the shark and evade capture. Ranging over wide areas and avoiding predictable patterns of behavior may help tiger sharks to retain the element of surprise while hunting,” he said.

For years, tiger sharks were thought to be territorial, prowling limited areas. Previous studies have shown they swim long distances, even across oceans, but Meyer’s nearly four-year study is the first long-term examination of their movement patterns.

“There are still a lot of people who think that tiger sharks live in fairly small areas, perhaps along one reef. We have quite clearly shown this isn’t the case,” he said. “These sharks are wide-ranging animals, and their pattern of behavior is such that they move continually.”

The research, funded by the state Department of Land and Natural Resources’s Division of Aquatic Resources, also calls into question the oft-repeated advice that staying out of the ocean at dusk and dawn can reduce the risk of shark attack. Meyer’s study found little evidence linking the risk of encountering a tiger shark to the time of day. The transmitter-equipped tiger sharks in his study were detected inshore at all times of the day and night.

In fact, 60 percent of shark attacks in Hawai’i occur between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., when more people are in the water.

“The evidence suggests that it doesn’t make any difference. When you look at when people are getting bitten by sharks, there’s no reason to be particularly concerned about (the dawn and dusk hours) based on what we’ve seen of tiger shark movements,” he said.

George Burgess, director of the International Shark Attack File at the Florida Museum of Natural History, said whether it’s prudent to avoid the ocean at dawn and dusk “depends on the shark and on the circumstances. That advice is given as general advice for sharks across the board, and it should be tailored to a particular area.”

In any event, it may be wise to avoid swimming at times when visibility is low, he said.

“In most areas of the world, shark fishermen fish at night. That’s the best time because the sharks are more active,” he said. “Tiger sharks feed by day and are happy to feed by night, when they have a competitive advantage. They’re professional predators, and we’re amateur invaders.”

OFTEN IMPLICATED

Tiger sharks, which can grow to 18 feet long and have distinctive blunt snouts and vertical bars on their sides, are most frequently implicated in shark-bite incidents in Hawai’i. They have been responsible for at least 20 of the 44 shark attacks in the state over the past 10 years, according to the Division of Aquatic Resources.

Meyer and Burgess emphasize the risk of attack remains extremely low despite the occasional presence of large sharks at popular beaches and bays.

“We periodically detected large tiger sharks in shallow waters at swimming beaches during the day. These sharks were apparently unseen by ocean users and there was no interaction with any people present. People who regularly swim, surf or dive in Hawaiian waters have probably been close to a large tiger shark without knowing it,” Meyer said.

The shark movement patterns also reinforce the conclusions of previous studies that culling programs are unlikely to be effective in either catching sharks responsible for attacks or reducing an already low attack risk.

Meyer and his team tracked 15 sharks using an array of 61 acoustic receivers installed on the ocean floor around the islands of O’ahu, Maui, Kaho’olawe and Hawai’i. The sharks were hooked and brought up alongside the team’s vessel, where they were turned on their backs, putting them into a trancelike state. Small ultrasound transmitters were surgically implanted through a small incision in the abdominal wall before the sharks were released. The entire process took less than 20 minutes, Meyer said.

The listening devices recorded the dates and times of visits by the tagged tiger sharks and were retrieved by divers at six-month intervals from December 2003 to June 2007. The information they contained was used to plot shark movements.

Meyer said shark visits to specific acoustic receiver sites were typically brief — averaging about three minutes in duration — unpredictable and interspersed by absences of weeks, months or even years.

Most coral reef predators, including Galapagos and gray reef sharks and ulua, have very predictable patterns of behavior and often use the same day and night habitats for years, he said. Tiger sharks may move on soon after arriving in an area because reef fish, turtles and other prey become wary and difficult to catch.

COASTAL PATROLLING

Most of the sharks in the study exhibited periods of coastal patrolling behavior, swimming back and forth along 10 to 70 miles of West Hawai’i coastline, interspersed with absences from the listening array.

However, three of the sharks spent up to several days in the vicinity of Honokohau Harbor in Kona on repeat visits. Meyer said that’s probably because the dumping of fish carcasses into the harbor switched the animals from wider-ranging movement patterns to scavenging behavior associated with a predictable source of food.

He advised that harbor users might want to avoid rewarding tiger sharks for visiting sites used for ocean recreation.

The predators also made rare, brief appearances at other popular ocean recreation spots, including Kealakekua Bay and the Kona Coast State Park on the Big Island, Honolua Bay on Maui, and Kane’ohe Bay on O’ahu.

The study notes that tiger sharks are known to switch foraging strategies to take advantage of seasonally abundant resources or inexperienced prey. Each summer in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, for example, tiger sharks temporarily cease their wide-ranging behavior to congregate around sandy islets to gorge on fledgling albatrosses.

Although the study provided new insight into the long-term movements of tiger sharks, Meyer said, much remains to be discovered about these elusive predators.

“Although we now have a much better understanding of tiger shark movements in Hawaiian waters, we still have many unanswered questions about their basic biology. We still need to figure out how frequently they capture prey, where they go to breed and how often the tiger sharks found in Hawai’i travel to other areas of the Pacific,” he said.

Other researchers involved in the study, published April 17 in the journal Marine Ecology Progress Series, are Timothy Clark, Yannis Papastamatiou, Nicholas Whitney and Kim Holland.

Reach Christie Wilson at cwilson@honoluluadvertiser.com.

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Ohio Man Shares Survival Story After Shark Attack

SYLVANIA, Ohio — An Ohio attorney who was attacked by a shark while he was on a vacation in 2007 told his story of survival to 10TV News.

 

Harvey Miller’s story made national headlines.

The husband and father of four was snorkeling on Oahu, Hawaii, when he was attacked by a tiger shark.  The attack was the first in the area in almost 50 years.

Here is how Miller described the attack to 10TV News:

“We were in Hawaii, July 17, 2007, so that date will stick in my mind forever”

“It was just like any other day got up early, went for a walk on the beach with my wife.  Later, my father-in-law and I went to play golf.  Who knew at this point, I’m going to play golf, it’s a great vacation that six hours later I’m in the hospital.”

SLIDESHOW: Images From Report (Editor’s Note: Some Images May Be Disturbing)

“I went to an area where the sea turtles, or where I was told, the sea turtles were.  They’re very beautiful and majestic animals to watch.  Little did I know, sharks eat turtles, so I was swimming in the dining room.”

“Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the jaws of the shark coming right at me.  In that same instant I felt it lifting me out of the water — then the body of the shark — I was almost laying across it.  My upper body was out of the water and the body and the dorsal fin were right here (points).  I punched it a few times and then it was gone.”

“After the shark was gone and I tried to swim, I couldn’t kick my leg, so it was at that point I knew that I’d been bitten, because I didn’t even feel it initially.”

“It seemed like forever, (I) wasn’t making any progress getting in, and it was getting pretty troubling and scary.  Everything I’ve ever been told about sharks is that they don’t give up.  They come back, so the whole time I’m swimming I’m waiting for it to bite me again.”

I’ll never forget, I brought my head up out of the water and to yell for help again, and heard someone off from a different direction say, ‘I’m here,’ and he was just 10-12 feet away so we turned and started swimming toward each other.”

“The shark that attacked me, they estimate to be about 10 feet.  Even with the bite on my kneecap, it didn’t really do any damage to the patella, to the internal part of the knee.  I was really very fortunate.”

“My surgeon, Dr. Murray, put it all back together.  This was the first time I had gotten out of bed after surgery.  I’ve never been so sick in my entire life.”

“(My) biggest fear with my son was not being able to play basketball with him. Doc thinks I’ll be able to do that.  You know, (I’m) going through it, I was always determined.  I mean, this is not going to get in the way of anything. I’m going to play golf, I’m going to play basketball, and I’m going to do what I want to do.”

“I’m training for a 10K run at the end of June.  I run two or three times a week and I’m just amazed that I can, I can actually run!”

“I have four children.  I think as a family we really appreciate more the little things we have together now.  I went to breakfast with my 9-year-old this morning to school.  I wouldn’t have been here for that, teaching my older daughter how to drive, well, trying to teach her how to drive, you know, I could have missed all of that.”

“It’s been a change in perspective, that life is short, and precious.”

Editor’s Note:  The shark that attacked Miller was never found.  Since the incident, he has continued to snorkel on other family vacations.

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3 ways local sharks attack

April 19, 7:23 PM 

If your surfboard looks like a pinniped, could it result in a “hit and run?” Read on for the answer.

It is scary that some surfers fall victim to unprovoked shark attacks each year. There are three main ways that sharks attack. In all cases, it is rare to ever see it coming.

How sharks attack:

1)“Hit and Run” attacks
While we disdain this behavior in licensed drivers, it is the least vile attack of all shark attacks. This form of attack is the most common form to surfers, but luckily not the deadliest. It involves a single bite or slash wound in which sharks do not return. Often, sharks are testing to see if you are food. Their minds work like a computer, and they are trying to determine if you are what they are looking for. They are placing you in the search engine. If you are surrounded by their food source, when they lunge, it is common for them to “taste” you and miss their target. But, a shark’s version of a lick packs a mean punch. With that kind of force, you may not be lunch, but you will be “left-over.” Many surfers have gotten a chunk of their foot lacerated, or a missing arm or leg. But, luckily they are alive. Everyone knows of Bethany Hamilton and how she still surfs today after her horrible accident. Hopefully, these accidents will be avoided in the future as surfers become more aware of their surroundings. Remember, when in the midst of a school of fish take action to prevent such mayhem by pulling in your appendages.
 

2)“Sneak” attacks
Much like a stealthy navy seal, you would not see this shark attack coming. Sneak attacks are the most fatal shark attacks. If a great white noticed your board from below and came charging from the depths, you would no longer be a surfer, you would be his. There is no way to foresee these kinds of attacks. The best way to prepare for this is your desire to stay alive. But after repeated bites, this form attack often proves itself fatal.

3)”Bump and Run” attacks
These attacks can be easily envisioned because of the movie, Jaws. This may involve one or multiple sharks. It occurs when the shark begins to circle you, moving vastly closer in proximity. The shark then proceeds to bump you from whatever vessel is harboring you. These attacks frequent plane crashes, and like sneak attacks, grueling at best.

Local Note: We have tiger sharks, blacktips, and bull sharks frequenting our waters. Tigers and bulls, as if their names were not a fierce enough description, are prone to both sneak attacks and bump and runs. Blacktips are more likely to hit and run.

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Shark incidents on the rise in Florida

Submitted by SHNS on Fri, 04/24/2009 – 09:58. 

A combination of more people going to local beaches and the natural migrating pattern of sharks has led to recent shark bite incidents in Florida, researchers said.

Sharks are starting to move north as water temperatures rise, with some sharks expected to reach southern New England by the end of the summer, said George Burgess, director of Florida Program for Shark Research at the University of Florida, in an e-mail.

Since last Friday, there have been several shark bite incidents, one each in St. Lucie and Palm Beach counties and one involving an Okeechobee County man at New Smyrna Beach.

“More people equal more chances to meet up with a shark, pure odds,” Burgess wrote.

Sharks normally spotted in the water are black tip, spinner, blacknose and sharpnose sharks. Occasionally spotted are tiger, bull, lemon and hammerhead sharks, Burgess said.

Also, bull sharks are chasing tarpons that are migrating from the Bahamas to Florida’s coast, said Neil Hammerschlag, director of the South Florida Student Shark Program at the University of Miami.

“Sharks, they’re out for an easy meal,” he said.

Lifeguards along Florida’s Treasure Coast said they are monitoring the waters and informing beach-goers of any dangers.

“Sharks aren’t looking to feed on people, but they are looking for bait fish,” Martin County lifeguard Capt. Ray Szefinski said.

Vero Beach lifeguard Lt. Shanna Beard said she sometimes has to remind swimmers not to play in a pool of baitfish or take pictures in the water because the vibrations and light flashes could attract sharks.

“A lot of people see it as being fun and don’t realize the danger,” she said.

However, Hammerschlag said beach-goers should not panic and think, “it’s not safe to go into the water.”

“More people die from bee stings and tripping over sand castles and hitting their heads than from shark attacks,” he said.

REDUCING RISK OF SHARK ATTACKS:

- Always stay in groups; sharks are more likely to attack a lone person.

- Do not wander too far from shore – this isolates an individual and additionally places one far away from assistance.

- Avoid being in the water during dawn or dusk hours when sharks are most active and have a competitive sensory advantage.

- Do not enter the water if bleeding or if menstruating – a shark’s olfactory ability is acute and sharks are attracted to blood.

- Do not wear shiny jewelry because the reflected light resembles the sheen of fish scales.

- Sightings of porpoises do not indicate the absence of sharks – both often eat the same food items.

- Use extra caution when waters are murky and avoid uneven tanning and bright-colored clothing – sharks see contrast particularly well.

- Refrain from excess splashing, and do not allow pets in the water because of their erratic movements.

- Exercise caution when in the area between sandbars or near steep drop-offs – these are favorite hangouts for sharks.

Information provided by the International Shark Attack File Web site, University of Florida Museum of Natural History, www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Sharks/ISAF/ISAF.htm

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Sharks Rarely Attack

Shark Fatalities are Less Common than People Believe

©Jennifer Copley

Apr 24, 2009

Many people think that shark attacks happen regularly and are usually fatal, but they are actually quite rare and most victims survive.

Movies and sensationalized media stories create the impression that sharks are avid man-eaters, but Rob Stewart’s award-winning documentary, Sharkwater has recently challenged such stereotypes. Even Peter Benchley,Jawsauthor, now believes that sharks are misunderstood, but the view that humans are a shark’s favourite prey persists.
Read more: “Sharks Rarely Attack: Shark Fatalities are Less Common than People Believe” -http://fishinsects.suite101.com/article.cfm/sharks_rarely_attack#ixzz0DfDYWrLh&A

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Swimmers have been keeping the lifeguards very busy.

Report: Water related incidents above average

On April 14, Gulf Shores lifeguards reported 26 drowning calls in one month

Graphic courtesy of the city of Orange Beach

GULF SHORES, Ala. — While only two months of vacationers have visited the Gulf Coast, a high number of water-related incidents have already been reported.

On April 14, Gulf Shores lifeguards had recorded 26 drowning calls in one month, and senior lifeguard Scott Smothers said that’s above average.

He also said since the season opened on March 13 there have been three days with yellow flags flying, the rest being red flag days.

“It’s because of the storms we’ve had,” Smothers said of the red flags. “Any time you get a low pressure system you’re going to have rip currents and high surf.”

Last year Gulf Shores had 172 drowning rescues. Drowning is easily avoidable and following the warning signs can eliminate the danger posed by the water.

The flag system put in place by the city allows beachgoers to be aware of the water conditions. Obeying the system ensures a safe trip.

A green flag represents low hazard and declares conditions are calm. A yellow flag expresses medium hazard and is used when the Gulf has moderate surf and currents. A red flag warns of high surf and strong currents. Two red flags declares the water is closed to the public. When dangerous marine life like sharks or jellyfish are present, a purple flag will fly. Other dangerous marine life include barracudas, red tide and marine lice. 

By city ordinance in Gulf Shores, it is illegal to enter the water when one or two red flags are flying.

A representative at the Gulf Shores Police Department did say usually they issue a warning to a swimmer on a red flag day, but failure to cooperate will lead to an arrest.

Orange Beach also fly flags to inform swimmers of water conditions. The city does not employ a lifeguard force, rather, the police and fire departments and the marine police are dispatched for a drowning. The Gulf Shores lifeguards will also lend a hand to Orange Beach and the Orange Beach Marine Police assist the lifeguards in Gulf Shores.

Orange Beach aquatics coordinator Melvin Shepard described the help as mutual aid. He also said Orange Beach has seen a lot of swimming distress calls recently.

Smothers said every rescue that’s been made in Gulf Shores has been a vacationer and said they have been for multiple victims.

“You’ll have one person in trouble and then two others go try to help them,” he said.

Smothers said the best thing to do if you witness a drowning is alert a lifeguard. If a lifeguard isn’t nearby carry a flotation device to the victim. Most rescues occur in the afternoon during low tide when there is a tidal range of two feet. Another large contributor is rip currents, which are caused when the tide funnels in water and it finds a weak spot in a sandbar to break through.

“All the water that comes in has to find a place to go out,” Smothers said. “It will gather, break the sandbar and rush back out to sea.”

To avoid rip currents, look for an area at the shoreline that is murky — where the sand has been disturbed. If caught in a rip current, allow it to carry you out, swim parallel to the beach and then swim back to shore.

A few other rules to follow include swimming with a partner and never swim while under the influence of alcohol.

To check the surf conditions and flying flag for Gulf Shores call 251-968-TIDE. The Orange Beach information line for weather and surf conditions and the flying flag is 251-981-SURF. Information about the flag system and beach safety tips can be found at the Alabama Gulf Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau.

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Pretty unlikely.

What are your odds of a shark attack while surfing?

April 18, 11:29 AM

This weekend, learn more about sharks in a special project called Shark Weekend.

 

If you live in Florida, the odds for a shark attack are much higher. Luckily, Texas statistics have dispelled some of the fear of shark attacks by illuminating that apprehension with knowledge. While most people suffer from Selachophobia (fear of sharks), for Texas surfers it is the panic of missing out on a good wave on any given day. It is true that sharks put the goosebumps in surfing and other water activities. Surfers have even named the insanely big surf spot in Hawaii, Jaws, (like the movie). Of course, crazy-good surfers take on that danger with enthusiasm and adrenaline. So, how safe are the waters of Galveston? Hearing the theme song from Jaws in your head, yet (Da dum Da dum Da dum)?

Here are some facts you should be listening to, instead:

 

• In Texas, from 2004-2007, you were 36 times more likely to have a fatality if you are homeless than a 0 fatality based on shark attack.

• 1 in 5 gets heart disease. 1 in 3,748,067 experience ever having a shark attack. Cardiac arrest is more likely.

• In Texas, you are 589 times more likely to die from a boating accident. You are 0 times as likely to die from a shark attack.

• In Texas, you are 206 times more likely to get struck by lightning for every 1 shark fatality.

• You are more likely to drowned, get in a car accident to or from the beach, become dehydrated, incur spinal damage, get sunburned, or be stung by a jellyfish/stingray.

• You are more likely to get in a farm accident than a shark accident.

• You are more likely to have an adverse reaction to antibiotics (time to stock up on probiotic yogurt).

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This anecdotal account comes from a fun weblog which chronicles attacks and encounters under the water.

La Jolla — On April 6, 2009 Raymundo Ayus, Jr. and a companion were spearfishing South of La Jolla. The sky was clear with a light breeze. The divers were about ¾ of a mile from the beach. Ayus reported the following:

 “We suited up at Camino Del La Costa just South of La Jolla. The water was a choppy with visibility 10 feet near the surface but a good 20 feet at the bottom. We swam Northwest to a nice kelp bed and begun hunting. About 20 minutes into the dive, I looked up and saw my buddy waving. As I swam toward him I realized he had shot a White Sea Bass and it was tangled 60 feet below in the kelp. First dive down, I looked for it and saw the fish then looked around 360 degrees for any toothy predator, then came up. The WSB was at least 50 pounds. I asked my buddy if he needed help cutting up the kelp and bringing the fish up. He said “yes.” I made the 2nd dive to the fish. Once again, I scanned 360 degrees, nothing was around. I cut the kelp carefully so as not to cut the reel line. My knife was in my left hand and in my right hand I held the fish. I noticed the small green fish that frequent the kelp suddenly got spooked as I looked to my right. I saw a large dark object coming at me.

That is when I freaked out seeing her nose, gums, and those teeth. I’m staring at the mouth of a 12 – 15 foot Great White Shark, 10 feet away and closing in. I released the fish immediately and arch backward to avoid the attack by going to the left of her head as she clamped down on the fish. I felt a strong hit on my right side as my face was 2 feet from her gill silts. It was her left fin (pectoral) hitting my right side. She turned slightly to the right and when I cleared her left fin I swam upward toward the surface holding my knife. I looked up to see where the reel line was heading because my dive buddy was holding my spear gun and I knew my knife was no match for the shark. When I looked down I saw the outline of the shark coming up at me. I surfaced next to my buddy and grabbed my spear gun to fend off the shark.

When I pulled the gun forward in the direction of the oncoming shark, she turned right and my buddy started swimming fast, on top of the kelp, straight toward shore. I kept looking underwater for the shark then I scanned where I last saw her. There she was coming up at my 5 o’ clock position so I swung my gun at her. She did a full circle touching the kelps around her. Now I know White Sharks do go into kelp when they have a prey in sight. I lost sight of her for a few minutes, then I saw her again at my 7 o’ clock position trying to sneak up on me when I got to the edge of the kelp. It was scary because she snuck up on me twice and I know her intention was not to look. I almost shot the shark when she did that. Then, I swam backward with my eyes to the rear when she began following me. She was a little fast coming up to my left side. I slowed down so that I could turn and face her. She did this ‘dance’ 4 times with me, cutting in front of me, which made me stop and point my gun at her then she would go full circle around me.

When she disappeared in the murky water, I swam backward, forward, and sideways, looking for her. I even dove 10 feet to see where she was. After that 10 foot dive, I could see the bottom and when I looked up the shore was only 100 yards away. I didn’t see the shark again. I made it over the rocks and was grateful that she didn’t bite me.” 

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This seems like a pretty tame attack, as shark attacks go. Maybe just a nip. But wow, thigh deep water really isn’t very deep at all, huh?

Teen bitten by shark in shallow water

By JEFF LYSIAK, jlysiak@breezenewspapers.com

A teenager swimming in thigh-deep water was apparently bitten by a shark off the western shoreline of Sanibel Friday afternoon.

According to a report released by the city, the Sanibel Police Department responded to a call at 4:11 p.m. on the beach adjacent to the Dosinia Condominium, at 3339 West Gulf Drive. Upon arriving, police discovered a 15-year-old male who appeared to be suffering from a shark bite.

Although no specific details of the incident or the identity of the victim have been released, police did say the teen was taken to a local hospital.

City Manager Judie Zimomra said that she cannot recall any shark attacks on Sanibel since before Hurricane Charley.

“It’s been at least five years since we’ve seen any shark interaction with humans here,” said Zimomra, who noted that smaller sharks or groups of sharks have been seen periodically off the coast of the island, without any incident.

In August 2008, a 47-year-old Cape Coral man, Jack Miller, reported what he believed to be a shark bite. He sustained the injury to his right arm while swimming in front of the Sanibel Moorings, located at 845 East Gulf Drive.

Miller also reported that he bandaged the injury himself and did not require additional medical attention.

Following Friday’s shark attack, members of the Sanibel Police Department have been going door-to-door to residences, hotels and condominiums handing out information to visitors and residents. The City of Sanibel released a list of precautions that swimmers can take to protect themselves while out in the water:

Swim, dive or surf with other people – never alone. Sharks are more likely to attack a solitary individual.

Avoid swimming between sandbars, near steep drop-offs, near channels or at river mouths where sharks are found.

Avoid wearing shiny jewelry that might simulate the scales of a prey fish, and also avoid uneven tanning and contrasting, bright-colored clothing.

Don’t swim at dusk or at night.

Refrain from excessive splashing.

Keep pets and domestic animals, with their erratic movements, out of the water.

Don’t swim near people who are fishing or spear-fishing, chumming or using live bait.

Avoid spreading blood or human wastes in the water. Do not enter the water if bleeding from an open wound or if menstruating – a shark’s olfactory ability is acute.

If schooling fish start to behave erratically or congregate in large numbers, leave the area. Diving seabirds are good indicators of schooling bait fish or feeding activity.

Sightings of porpoises do not indicate the absence of sharks. Both often eat the same food items.

If a shark is sighted in the area, leave the water as calmly and quickly as possible.

Do not harass a shark if one is spotted.

Additional information can be obtained from www.mote.org/sharks or at www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/sharks .

Sharks are often found along the beaches in the Gulf of Mexico, and while attacks on humans have been reported in the past, they are still considered to be very rare.

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Being borderline phobic about sharks myself (even understand that the odds are so low that I’d ever become a victim), I would love swimming while protected by a shark shield, which emits an uncomfortable electronic pulse. Someone should put these things on bracelets and sell them for $50 if possible, they’d make a million bucks.

Shark Shield Tested Near Fatal Attack in South Africa

Following the fatal attack of a 16-year-old two weeks ago, the lifeguards at Second Beach on South Africa’s Wild Coast enacted a ban against entering the water. But one surfer plunged into the waves a few days ago with the lifeguards’ blessing to demonstrate the effectiveness of a “shark shield” protection device that could help people get back in the water, according to the Daily Dispatch Online. The surfer, Londonite Peter Jones, was accompanied by a huge crowd of onlookers watching from the shore as he surfed in the same spot where Port St John native Luyolo Mangele was attacked and later bled to death. In late January, Sikhanyiso Bangilizwe, 26, was also killed by a shark attack on the same beach while swimming with his friends.

Mangele was part of the non-profit Iliza Surf Academy, which teaches surfing to disadvantaged teenagers on the wild coast. An anonymous donor had already promised nearly ,000 to the academy, wants to direct that money to purchase 15 shark shields. The shark shield functions by creating a field of pulsing electricity around the swimmer, which is highly uncomfortable for the shark (see a longer explanation in the video above). It’s similar to an invisible fence shock collar for pets, with the humans wearing the collar.

“A lot of the kids who were on the beach when Luyolo was attacked are still freaked out by what happened,” said Tim Whittaker, a volunteer Iliza surfing mentor. “They all want to keep surfing, but they also do not want to have to worry about being attacked by sharks.”

–Melanie Lidman

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Bull Sharks are actually more dangerous than Great Whites.

A Zambezi, or Bull Shark, was most likely what killed the teenage South African surfer…

As reported on www.weekendpost.co.za

In the second attack of its kind within two months, a 16-year-old boy died after he was savaged by a shark while surfing at Port St Johns at the weekend. The attack has prompted calls to speed up investigations into alternative methods of safeguarding surfers and swimmers at the Transkei resort.

Locals have also attributed the latest attacks to the recent increase in surfers in the area. Luyolo Mangele was in the water at Second Beach with four friends and their instructor during a surfing exercise on Friday afternoon.

Mangele separated from the group and was further out to sea when the shark struck. After being bitten on his buttocks and left thigh, he managed to paddle to the shore and was pulled out of the water by his instructor and a lifesaver.

They tried to stabilise the bleeding and rushed him to hospital, were he later died.

The attack follows a similar one on January 24, when Sikhanyiso Bangilizwe, 25, was savaged to death by a giant Zambezi shark while swimming with his colleagues at the same beach.

The first attack of 2009 was recorded for Volusia County in Florida. Fortunately, the girl survived the attack, which really didn’t seem like much at all, considering it could be treated with band aids, not stitches.

Girl gets first Volusia shark bite of year

Authorities say a 17-year-old girl was the first shark-bite victim for 2009 in Volusia County, where a record 24 attacks were reported last year.Volusia County Beach Patrol reports that the Mims girl was surfing a popular spot just south of Ponce de Leon Inlet Wednesday evening when she got nipped. The would was small enough to be treated with Band-Aids rather than stitches.

The first 2008 shark bite was recorded Feb. 17, a month sooner than this year’s first reported attack.

Officials say large runs of bait fish, murky water and big waves next month will bring ideal conditions for shark bites.

Shark attacks being at their lowest levels in half a decade doesn’t seem all that noteworthy, really. I mean, that’s only 5 years, so it almost seems like statistical noise. And when you look at the actual numbers: 71 attacks in 2007, and 59 in 2008, they seems like your normal range of incidences. Normal enough to not really demand an explanation.

But regardless, we get one. Apparently, less money = less people traveling to beaches = less opportunities for shark attacks. Of course, this theory could hold (non shark infested) water, and it does make some sense, but the decline doesn’t really seem notable enough to need it. And anecdotally, at least, here in LA, it seems like MORE people are in the waters, because a beach trip is actually often a cheaper alternative where people can drive instead of fly for their leisure time.

Economy puts bite on shark attacks, researcher says

• Story Highlights
• Sharks attacked 59 people worldwide in 2008, Florida researcher reports
• Four people killed by sharks last year
• Economic downturn means fewer people hitting beaches, researcher says
• Surfers account for 57 percent of shark attacks

(CNN) – Shark attacks on humans were at the lowest levels in half a decade last year, and a Florida researcher says hard economic times may be to blame.

Sharks attacked 59 people in 2008, the lowest number of attacks since 57 in 2003, according to George Burgess, director of the International Shark Attack File, part of the Florida Museum of Natural History on the University of Florida campus in Gainesville.

There were 71 attacks in 2007.

“One can’t help but think that the downturn in the economy played a part in it,” Burgess said.

Fewer people, especially outside of the United States, have the resources to go to the beach, he said.

“To have a shark attack, you have to have humans and sharks in the water at the same time,” Burgess said. “If you have a reduction in the number of people in the water, you’re going to have a reduction in the opportunities for people and sharks to get together.”

“We noticed similar declines during the recession that followed the events of 2001, despite the fact that human populations continued to rise,” the ichthyologist said.

Sharks killed four people in 2008, Burgess said: one in California, one in Australia and two in Mexico.

Forty-one of the 59 attacks worldwide came in the United States, and 32 of those occurred in Florida.

Surfers accounted for 57 percent of shark attacks, swimmers and waders were the targets in 36 percent of the attacks, and divers the rest, he said.

Burgess said the U.S. tends to see more attacks because of a large number of surfers, who are a favorite target of sharks.

And neither the economy nor the attacks tend to keep American surfers from practicing their sport.

“All they have to do is drive to the beach with the board and get into the water, and the rest is free,” he said.

And while an attack may make them a bit more wary, he said, “I’ve yet to find a surfer who says he or she won’t go back into the water after a bite or a nip.”

When the economy improves, shark attack numbers are likely to go up again, according to Burgess, predicting the number of attacks in the next decade will surpass those of the past 10 years.

“We’re putting so many people in the water that humans are dictating the shark attack situation,” he said.