Shark Attack Press Releases

The yearly total of 55 unprovoked attacks was lower than the 63 unprovoked attacks recorded in the year 2002, 68 recorded in 2001, and 79 reported in 2000. Four fatalities occurred in 2003, a total similar to the three recorded in 2002 and four reported in 2001, but much lower than the 11 fatalities in 2000. The 41 attacks in United States territorial waters (including incidents in Hawaii, the Virgin Islands and Johnson Atoll) were less than the 2002 (47), 2001 (50) and 2000 (54) yearly figures. Elsewhere, attacks occurred in Australia (6), Brazil (2), South Africa (2), Fiji (1), India (1), Madagascar (1), and Venezuela (1).Florida (31) had most of the unprovoked attacks in the United States. This total also was lower than the 2002 (29), 2001 (34) and 2000 (37) average yearly figures. Additional U.S. attacks were recorded in Hawaii (4), South Carolina (3), California (1), the Virgin Islands (1), and Johnson Atoll (1). Within Florida, Volusia County had the most (14) incidents (down from 18 in 2002 and 22 in 2001), which largely is attributable to very high aquatic recreational utilization of its attractive waters by Florida residents and tourists, especially surfers. Other Florida counties having attacks in 2003 were Brevard (8), St. Johns (3), Martin (2), Palm Beach (2), Miami-Dade (1), and St. Lucie (1).

2003

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- A Jacksonville man was bitten by a shark while surfing in Atlantic Ocean waters near Daytona Beach on Saturday, officials said.

Aaron Edelson suffered severe injuries to his left calf. He underwent surgery at Halifax Medical Center and his conditions were stable, a nursing supervisor said. His exact age was unavailable late Saturday; officials said Edelson is in his 20s.

"He said he felt something thrashing around his feet and then he felt the intense pain," Beach Patrol Capt. Ray Manchester said.

Norma Reyes, a nurse who was on the beach, said Edelson's left calf was torn open in the attack.

It was the 10th bite reported in Volusia County this year and the first since June 30.

Horror attack off Noordhoek

Friday, September 12, 2003

NOORDHOEK, CAPE TOWN --- A 19 year old bodyboarder died surfing the Dunes after being attacked by a shark.

Dave Bornman, who was surfing the mid-break, died of massive blood loss as he was pulled from the surf by nearby surfers.

The shark - presumably a Great White - hit him once, pulling him under and then flinging him up. The force of the bite cut through his torso and lower body.

The shark let go when it realised that he wasn't prey. Newspapers reported that the sea around him turned red as he bravely tried to catch a wave in. The impact of the bite had caused a traumatic wound and his life blood drained away. He passed on soon afterwards.

This is the second shark attack in a year around the Cape Peninsula but the first fatality in many years. Surfers can't remember when last a surfer has died in Cape Town. A bodyboarder lost his life in Knysna in 1999, surfing the 'Fish Boma'.

This attack has shattered 'myths' about the behaviour of Great Whites, one of which is that they avoid the impact zone and steer clear of shallow water where waves are breaking.

Another is that Noordhoek is free of sharks, with sightings rare, if unheard of. It is however, a rare occurrence and the belief is that the shark was behaving unusually.

Avila Beach, San Luis Obispo County -- A woman swimming among sea lions in the ocean off the Central Coast town of Avila Beach died Tuesday morning after she was bitten by what authorities believe was a large great white shark.Deborah B. Franzman, 50, was attacked as she swam alone within sight of beachgoers on the Avila Beach pier and of about 30 lifeguards training on the beach.The shark struck from below, breaching the surface and tearing most of the tissue from Franzman's left thigh. Although no one saw the entire animal, a witness saw a gray fin in the churning water, and authorities said the nature and severity of the attack left little doubt it was a white shark.

"The bite was fairly massive," said Robert Lea, a marine biologist with the state Department of Fish and Game. "The white shark is one of the few animals that could make a bite that large. From the description witnesses gave, everything indicates" it was a white shark.Should the autopsy slated for today confirm that Franzman was killed by a shark, it would be the first fatal shark attack along the California coastline since 1994. Two men were attacked by white sharks off Bay Area beaches last year, but both survived.Despite the animals' fearsome reputation as relentless predators, attacks by great white sharks -- and all sharks, for that matter -- are exceedingly rare. There have been 106 shark attacks along the West Coast since the Department of Fish and Game began keeping statistics in 1952. Just 10 have been fatal.All of the deaths occurred in California, and at least nine involved great white sharks, officials said.Authorities closed the picturesque beach in Avila Beach as well as those in Cayucos, Morro Bay, Oceano and Pismo Beach immediately after the 8:15 a.m. attack. The beaches reopened at midday, drawing hundreds of visitors, but authorities barred people from entering the water until further notice.Avila Beach is a beach town of 2,300 people in San Luis Obispo County 241 miles south of San Francisco. Franzman lived in the nearby town of Nipomo and was a regular at the beach, officials said.Her teenage son, Alex Franzman, said his mother taught philosophy and ethics at Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria. She was a strong athlete who swam in the ocean three or four times weekly. She was often joined by friends, but she swam alone Tuesday when none showed up, he said.Her partner, who declined to comment, watched from shore as Franzman ventured into the sea. Franzman was about 75 yards from shore and 200 yards south of Avila Pier in water roughly 20 feet deep when the attack occurred, officials said. Authorities said she was well within the swimming boundaryAs she swam, more than two dozen local lifeguards were training and competing in shows of skill just north of the pier

SWIMMING WITH SEA LIONS

Witnesses told investigators that Franzman, clad in a wetsuit and fins, was swimming among a pod of sea lions when the mammals suddenly vanished and something large and gray breached the water.A friend of Franzman's screamed, "A shark's got her! A shark's got her," bringing five lifeguards dashing off the pier, said Casey Nielsen, head of the San Luis Harbor District, which has jurisdiction over the beach.One grabbed a passer-by's cell phone and called 911. The others dove into the water despite having no rescue gear and little idea what might be waiting for them, Nielsen said."It was heroism," he said. "They knew someone was bit, and they went into the water and brought her to shore anyway. My first thought would have been 'Stay out of the water.' "The four men, who could not be reached for comment, pulled Franzman ashore and loaded her into a pickup truck, where they began cardiopulmonary resuscitation and tried to stop the bleeding."A bunch of local lifeguards come out and drag her in, and she was bleeding. It was bad," eyewitness David Abbott, his voice cracking, told KCOY-TV in Santa Maria.Paramedics pronounced Franzman dead at the scene

SIGNS POINT TO GREAT WHITE

Experts said the attack is typical of the white shark, an "ambush predator" that strikes quickly and from below with a devastating biteOne witness told investigators the animal bit the woman twice, but that could not be confirmed."It appears she was bitten once primarily in the left leg, but there also is a wound on the right leg," said Lea of Fish and Game.Few animals other than the white shark are capable of so large a bite, he said.The bite in all likelihood severed Franzman's femoral artery, contributing to her death, Lea said. Had the bite missed the artery, she might have survived the attack but would have undoubtedly lost her leg, he added.Lea said he will not know for sure it was a white shark until he examines the woman's wounds, which also may shed light on the size of the animal."We know it's large, and large for a white shark can be anywhere from 12 to 18 feet," he said. Such an animal could easily top two tons, he said.Sharks do not prey upon humans, Lea said. Instead, researcher believe most attacks are "a case of mistaken identity" in which the animals mistake humans - - especially those wearing fins or riding surfboards -- for seals or sea lions, their primary prey.The most recent California shark attack occurred last year on Thanksgiving Day, when Michael Casey was bitten by a 16-foot white shark while enjoying the surf at Salmon Creek Beach in Sonoma County.Casey, a Santa Rosa deputy city attorney, was bitten at least twice in the legs; the resulting wounds required more than 80 staples to close.Another surfer, Lee Fontan of Bolinas, was bitten four times by a 12- to 14- foot great white on April 30, 2002, near Stinson Beach in Marin County. -------------------------------------------------------------

A 12-year-old girl visiting Florida to see the launch of the Mars Rover was bitten by a shark Tuesday afternoon off the Cape Canaveral coast, according to Local 6 News. Officials said Hannah Hathaway was standing in waist-deep water near her hotel when her dad spotted a shark. He said it swam between several people and then bit the girl. "She got bit by a little brown shark, I don't know what it was," James Hathaway said. "We were standing in water about waist deep, and I saw the fish come in on a wave, and we tried to move in, and she said she got bit." Hannah had several circle cuts on her legs, according to the report. She was able to walk to a hospital.

TEQUESTA, Fla. -- A Florida surfer is recovering from a shark bite. Officials said that Cutty Kildosher, 18, was surfing near Tequesta over the weekend when he was bitten on the foot. The surfer says it could be a case of mistaken identity. He says the shark was just looking for food. Kildosher says he'll be back at the beach soon, ready to ride more waves.

1. Beachgoer Suffers Shark Bite At New Smyrna
Lifeguards Treat Victim At Scene
POSTED: 10:13 a.m. EDT May 15, 2003 UPDATED: 10:39 a.m. EDT May 15, 2003
An Orlando man suffered a minor shark bite Wednesday along the Volusia County coast. Joshua Brust, 22, was nipped on his left foot at the inlet at New Smyrna Beach, WESH NewsChannel 2 reported. Lifeguards treated him at the scene, and he headed to an Orlando hospital. It's the seventh shark bite this year in Volusia County. Copyright 2003 by WESH.COM.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. -- An Orlando surfer suffered minor injuries when he was bitten by a shark near Ponce de Leon Inlet.

Wednesday afternoon when something grabbed his left foot in thigh-deep murky water, sad Beach Patrol Capt. Rob Horster.

"He suffered minor cuts on the top of the foot and the back of the heel that may require a couple of stitches,'' Horster said. "He said he was going to go to a hospital in Orlando.''

Beach Patrol records show this is the fifth reported bite in the New Smyrna Beach area in 2003, Horster said. There have been two other shark bite incidents in Volusia County.

A mob of bathers in Rio de Janeiro clubbed several sharks to death, including a 6-foot long pregnant shark after a suspected attack last week near the famed Copacabana beach, according to a Local 6 News report. "A shark hysteria has spread on the beaches, leading to the killing of sharks," a spokesman for the Brazilian state's civil defense said. Lifeguards in Rio de Janeiro told swimmers to leave sharks alone after three sharks that strayed near the beach were killed following the suspected attack last week. Lifeguards have intensified patrols since a young swimmer was bitten on the right hand. If confirmed, it would be the first shark attack near Rio in four years. Only 11 shark attacks have been recorded in Rio in the past 30 years.

A 20-year-old Kamuela man was in stable condition tonight after he was bitten by a shark off the Big Island’s Kona Coast.

Koa Paulo was swimming this morning with some friends in water about 8 feet deep and not far from shore, between Magic Sands Beach and Kahaluu Beach, when he felt a bite on his right foot, he said.

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources closed Kahaluu and Magic Sands Beach, also known as White Sands Beach and Disappearing Sands Beach, yesterday after the 11:45 a.m. attack, said DLNR spokeswoman Deborah Ward.

The incident appears to be the first reported shark attack in the state this year.

Local 6 News reported that Gerald Gaskins was in waist-deep water when he jumped off his board and landed on the shark. The shark spun and clamped down on his foot.

"When I hit him, I could feel him turn around real quick coming to bite whatever hit him," Gaskins told Local 6 News.

Gaskins was transported to a local hospital where he was expected to receive as many as 70 stitches. Doctors said that the sharks tooth may still be lodged in Gaskin's leg bone, Local 6 News reported.

The latest bite is the 12th along Florida's east coast this year and there have only been 17 reported shark bites in the world.

A shark reportedly grabbed the foot of an 18-year-old former lifeguard and pulled him off his surfboard Monday off New Smyrna Beach, according to Local 6 News.

Steven Flowers (pictured, right) was surfing in the inlet when witnesses said that the shark bit his foot and then held him underwater for about three seconds. Flowers was able to free his foot and then swam to shore, Local 6 News reported. The teen was treated at the scene by an ambulance crew and then went to Bert Fish Medical Center for additional treatment, according to the report.

A 36-year-old man was also bitten by a shark Monday while surfing in Melbourne, Fla., according to a Local 6 News report.

Authorities said Ralph Sammis was bitten on the right calf while surfing near the 7800 block of AIA in Melbourne. Sammis was about 75 yards off-shore when the attack occurred. Sammis was taken to the Holmes Regional Medical Center for treatment but his condition was not known.

There have been several reported shark bites in Central Florida in recent days including an 11-year-old boy who was bitten on his left foot while body-boarding in the surf.

The boy, whose name was not released, was taken to a local hospital for treatment, said Joe Wooden, spokesman for the Volusia County Beach Patrol. He was not seriously injured.

The bite is the third reported in Volusia County this year. New Smyrna Beach is about 15 miles southeast of Daytona Beach. Two other people suffered minor shark bites in the past week to the south in Brevard County. One involved a 12-year-old boy surfing, and the other a 20-year-old man swimming.

NEW SYMRNA BEACH -- Monday's bodacious waves may have made it a great day for surfing, but the hungry creatures lurking below made it a really bad day for surfers -- especially for two of them.

A 36-year-old Melbourne Beach resident became Brevard County's sixth statistic this year after being bitten in the calf while surfing Monday afternoon at Melbourne Beach.

An hour earlier and one county north, a former lifeguard became the fourth shark attack victim in Volusia County this year when one of the predatory creatures swam up, clamped down on his foot and pulled him down in the Atlantic Ocean's churning waters for three to four seconds Monday afternoon.

Stephen Flowers, 18, of Ormond Beach, said he was surfing at the inlet at New Smyrna Beach about 2:20 p.m. when the shark grabbed his right foot, severing two tendons as it snatched him from his surfboard and into more than 6 feet of water.

"I just pulled off a wave, and as I was getting back on the board, it came up under me and grabbed my right foot and pulled me under," he said from his hospital bed at Bert Fish Medical Center in New Smyrna Beach. "There's a lot of teeth marks, too," he said.

Flowers, a Volusia County lifeguard for two years, said a couple of his surfing buddies were unaware that he was attacked until it was over. He managed to walk ashore by himself.

"I've been surfing for seven or eight years and when I was a lifeguard I never ever saw a shark-bite victim," he said. "It was weird."

Neither of Monday's attacks came as a surprise to George Burgess, the director of the Florida Program for Shark Research and editor of the International Shark Attack File, a University of Florida-based study that tracks sharks and records shark attacks.

"These are typical situations that we can predict," he said. "It's that time of year when the waters are getting warm and they're [sharks] lining up and moving up the coastline."

Burgess said many sharks spend their winters in Florida and some in the Gulf of Mexico. The waters warm from south to north, creating a northerly flow of sharks as well. So, he said, we should expect these types of attacks to continue for another week or two while the sharks move north.

"The air temperature also is warming, and more humans are entering the waters," he said. "And if you throw in a surfing contest in Brevard County, you've got more sharks. It's not like it's a highway of sharks out there, but more than likely they're going to start spreading out, and we might see a bite or two father up the coastline; even into the Carolinas."

Burgess saidthat so far this year, there have been 11 attacks worldwide, including one fatality in Australia. Besides another attack in Australia and one in New Zealand, the others have occurred in Volusia, Brevard and Palm Beach counties.

In April 2001 in Volusia County there were about half a dozen attacks, Burgess said. But this month's statistics -- which include 30-year-old Orlando surfer Tommy Ryan, who was bitten Sunday at Playalinda Beach -- doesn't mean the sequel to 2001's "Summer of the Shark."

"In the big picture we have 52 weeks in a year, and we're only talking about two weeks or so," he said.

The six Brevard County attacks, which began April 9, include five surfers and one swimmer. Some of the other victims in Volusia this year include an 11-year-old body-boarder nabbed Saturday in New Smyrna Beach, and a 23-year-old surfer bitten Sunday in Daytona Beach Shores. None was critically injured. Flowers, who was scheduled to have surgery late Monday evening, quit his lifeguard position last summer to return to school full-time. He recently thought about returning to work as a lifeguard this summer. "Now, I don't think I'll be able to because of what happened," he said. "I probably won't be able to walk for months." But, he said, the incident won't prevent him from grabbing a board in search of the perfect wave.

Charlene Hager-Van Dyke can be reached at 386-851-7927 or chagervandyke@orlandosentinel.com..

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. -- There were two more shark bites off the Central Florida coast over the weekend.

One was a 30-year-old surfer from Orlando whose foot was bitten while he was swimming at Playlinda Beach in Brevard County on Sunday. He was taken to a local hospital where he's in stable condition.

The man was bitten on the foot before he managed to get away. Witnesses say they first knew about the bite when they heard screams. The swimmer was treated at Halifax, then released. He's expected to be okay.

DAYTONA BEACH SHORES -- A 23-year-old surfer was bitten by a 3-foot-long shark Sunday morning, the fourth person reported bitten in Volusia and Brevard counties this season.

Joe Wooden, a spokesman for the Volusia County Beach Patrol, said that Jeff Allbright was bitten on his left foot about 9 a.m. near the Gunglow Pier. He was treated and left the beach to seek further medical attention from his own doctor, Wooden said.

No other incidents with sharks were reported Sunday, but Wooden cautioned bathers to be alert to their surroundings. Bathers are also to be cautious of dangerous rip currents that can drag unwary swimmers far from shore. Wooden said lifeguards made numerous rescues of people caught in rip currents and cautioned that more are expected today. If you are caught in a rip current, Wooden said, don't panic and don't swim against it. Instead swim parallel to the shore until you are out of the current.

An 11-year-old boy also suffered a small shark bite on his left foot Saturday while body-boarding in the surf at New Smyrna Beach, officials said. The boy was not seriously injured, and his parents took him to a local hospital for treatment, Wooden said.

Two other people suffered minor shark bites in the past week to the south in Brevard County. One involved a 12-year-old boy surfing, and the other a 20-year-old man swimming.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. -- An 11-year-old suffered a small shark bite on his left foot while body-boarding in the surf, officials said.

The boy, whose name was not released, was not seriously injured when he was bitten Saturday afternoon and his parents took him to a local hospital for treatment, said Joe Wooden, spokesman for the Volusia County Beach Patrol.

The bite is the second reported in Volusia County this year, Wooden said. New Smyrna Beach is about 15 miles southeast of Daytona Beach.

Two other people suffered minor shark bites in the past week to the south in Brevard County. One involved a 12-year-old boy surfing, and the other a 20-year-old man swimming.

PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- A day at the beach ended with a trip to the hospital. Friday morning, a shark attacked a 12-year-old boy in Brevard County. The boy was swimming in shallow water when the shark bit his leg. It's the second shark attack in Brevard County this week.

The boy was swimming near Patrick Air Force Base when he was attacked. He is in fair condition Friday afternoon. The shark left numerous marks on his left leg, including an 8-inch gash just below the knee.

"You could see on his leg, two or three good marks bleeding out," says Matt Adams.

It was the first thing Adams saw Friday morning as he walk across the beach with his surfboard. A 12-year-old boy had been bitten at least twice by a shark.

His parents told paramedics they saw the shark and it had to be at least six to eight feet long.

This is the second shark bite in central Brevard County this week. On Tuesday, a 20-year-old tourist from Venezuela was swimming in Cocoa Beach when he suffered a bite 6 inches to 8 inches in diameter just below his left knee. He was treated and released the same day from Cape Canaveral Hospital.

Most of the shark sightings are very close to shore. The predators are drawn to the shallow water to feast on baitfish. That appears to be the case here.

Lifeguards say it's really not uncommon to see sharks. It's just extremely rare to have two bites in one week.

Surfer Bitten By Shark Off Cocoa Beach
Posted: 10:05 p.m. EDT April 15, 2003

COCOA BEACH, Fla -- A 17-year-old surfer was in fair condition Tuesday night after a shark bit him near Shepard Park in Cocoa Beach, according to Local 6 News. 
The surfer, whose name was not released, was bitten at around 1:30 p.m. and was immediately taken to Cape Canaveral Hospital. 
An emergency room physician confirmed the victim's injuries were the result of a shark bite. 
Shark attacks tend to rise in the spring, when spring-breakers and migratory sharks converge in shallow coastal waters. 
This is the first shark bite of the season, according to Local 6 News.

Queensland authorities are warning people not to swim in canals on the Gold Coast after the second fatal shark attack in the area in as many months.

An 84-year-old Burleigh Waters man who was swimming in Burleigh Lake this morning has died as a result of a severe leg injury inflicted by a shark.

Primary Industries Minister Henry Palaszczuk says baited drum-lines are being placed in the area to catch it.

Mr Palaszczuk says there are hundreds of aggressive bull whalers in the canals and swimmers need to act safely.

"Don't swim in the canals, don't swim at dusk, don't swim at dawn, don't swim alone and swim between the flags, it's as simple as that," he said.

A man has been killed in a shark attack on the Gold Coast, the second person to be attacked in the coastal canals this summer.

Police say the elderly man was found just before 10:00am this morning at Burleigh Lake.

In the week before Christmas a 23-year-old man died while swimming in a Burleigh Waters canal at night.

A post mortem examination determined he had been bitten by a shark before he died.

Ambulance officers today are warning people not to swim in Gold Coast canals as they are inhabited by sharks.

Press Release

The yearly total of 60 unprovoked attacks was lower than the 72 unprovoked attacks recorded in the year 2001 and 85 in 2000. Three fatalities occurred in 2002, down from five in 2001 and 13 in 2000. The 5% fatality rate was significantly lower than the 1990's decade average of 13%. The three fatalities occurred in Australia (2) and Brazil (1).

As in recent years, the bulk (82%: 48 attacks) of incidents occurred in North American waters, including 47 from the United States and one in the Bahamas. The 47 attacks in the United States were less than the 2001 (53) and 2000 (54) yearly figures. Elsewhere, attacks occurred in Australia (6), Brazil (3), South Africa (2), and Costa Rica (1).

Following recent trends, Florida (29) had most of the unprovoked attacks in the United States. This total also was lower than the 2001 (37) and 2000 (38) yearly figures. Additional U.S. attacks were recorded in Hawaii (6), California (4), North Carolina (3), South Carolina (2), Oregon (1) and Texas (1). One attack occurred in offshore waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Within Florida, Volusia County had the most (18) incidents (down from 22 in 2001), which largely is attributable to very high aquatic recreational utilization of its attractive waters by Florida residents and tourists, especially surfers. Other Florida counties having attacks in 2001 were Brevard (3), St. Johns (3), Broward (1), Franklin (1), Martin (1), Monroe (1), and Palm Beach (1).

Surfers (32 incidents: 56% of cases with victim activity information) were the recreational user groups most often subjected to shark attack in 2001. Other attacks involved swimmers/waders (22: 34%), and divers/snorkelers (4: 7%). One attack (2%) occurred during a water entry event.

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