Shark Attack Press Releases

Stats/Maps Global Attack Info	See Attack Graph	.xls list	Link to 'Summer of Shark' 2001 Archives' From July 2000 (archive)	Link to 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002
		Interactive Map of Attacks around the world...thanks Tracy
		Shark repellent??check it out.?. Shark Shields--interesting..
See the worlds shortest vacation

It's not a case of once bitten twice shy for Hastings man Greg Sims, who says he's not afraid to re-enter the water after a suspected shark attack at Haumoana on Tuesday (jan 6). The 49-year-old was enjoying a dip just south of the Tukituki River mouth with partner Pauline Hayes before he was attacked at 5.30pm. ``I felt a sharp, painful bite on the back of my leg and couldn't leave the surf fast enough,' he said. ``I screamed at Pauline to get out of the water, she just stood there not comprehending what had happened.' Mr Sims, a registered nurse, then used his towel as a tourniquet to stop the bleeding before the two drove to Hawke's Bay Hospital. ``It was the most panicked I've ever seen him,' Ms Hayes said. The family were today still baffled over what had inflicted the bite from the blue. ``I saw nothing at all. Nothing broke the water so there was no warning and no sighting. We thought maybe it was a stingray, but from what we know they leave a sharp whip-like laceration, but this wound is the shape of a bite, and has taken a chunk of flesh away so we think it was a shark.' Hawke's Bay Today sent a photograph of the injury to Department of Conservation scientist and shark expert Clinton Duffy, who agreed with the couple's theory. ``There appears to be a semi-circular jaw impression which indicates a shark bite,' Mr Duffy said. ``Plus it's on the upper thigh and you'd expect a typical stingray attack to be on the lower leg. ``Top of the list of suspects would be a broadnose sevengill shark (Notorhynchus cepedianus). This is a common large coastal shark species, which is most abundant near shore at this time of year.' He said the fact Mr Sims hadn't seen the shark was not surprising. ``This shark has an almost non-existent dorsal fin so you wouldn't see it break the surface in shallow water.' The attack hadn't put Mr Sims off his favourite swimming spot. ``It'd be silly to say never again. I've been swimming here for 40 years and I've never heard of - let alone experienced - a shark attack in the area. ``What are the chances of it happening twice?'

A group of kayakers and fishermen have survived a close encounter with a shark believed to be a great white off Long Reef north of Sydney The encounter happened on Saturday ( December 27) the same day a suspected shark attack in is believed to have taken the life of Brian Guest who was snorkelling in Western Australia.

The fishermen alerted the kayakers to the danger after spotting a large fin in the water. The shark then bumped 29-year-old Steve Kulcsar's kayak, sending him into the water with the five metre animal.Steve was able to scramble onto his kayak again and was then pulled into the fishermen's boat. The other kayakers "rafted" their kayaks against the fishing boat in an effort to find safety until the shark eventually swam away some ten harrowing minutes later."This thing comes up behind the boat, it lifts up, it would've been eye-level with the guy going next to his kayak. He looked. We thought he's dead." said Kayaker Rick Darmanin once safely back on dry land.Fisherman Darryl Domoney spoke of the attempt to scare the large predator away.We actually hit him in the head with the prop. And then we seen him go five metres, ten metres and a bit more out to sea." Domoney said.These two incidents, along with other sightings and beach closures have seen some calling for a "culling".But marine experts say that's an "ill-informed" approach."The idea of a cull on these species is very ill-informed in my mind, they are a key part of theecosystem." marine biologist Keiran Mackenzie said.A sentiment echoed by Daniel Guest son of missing Brian Guest, yesterday's victim of a suspected shark attack near Rockingham, Western Australia. "This is their territory. You know, and they're going to do what they're going to do." Daniel said today when he returned to the scene of his father's disappearance with fellow mourners.The sharks involved in both attacks yesterday are believed to be White Pointers, a protected species which means they will be not be culled.

Feared dead: Brian Guest was snorkelling when a great white shark struck near Perth, AustraliaA huge shark - believed to be a great white - rolled over in the water with the body of a man in its jaws in a horror scene described by witnesses.Bank officer Brian Guest, 51, was grabbed by the shark as he was snorkelling for crabs with his 24-year-old son Daniel off the coast of Western Australia today when the feared monster of the deep struck.The water turned red with blood as the shark carried the father of three away after the attack, just 25 feet from the beach at Port Kennedy, 20 miles south of the State capital, Perth.Witnesses on the beach told of seeing a 'flash of fin' but local man Luke Tubbs, who lives near the beach, described a horrific scene in which the shark could be seen with Mr Guest's body in its jaws.While he did not witness the event personally, he said it had been described to him by another man who had run to his home to raise the alarm.'He told me he just saw a big splash and then the shark roll over in the water with the guy - and then (he saw) no body or anything.'Police, emergency services and volunteers search the coastline for any sign of Mr Guest, but his body had not been found several hours after the terrifying attack.Mr Guest's son was swimming some 20 feet from his father when the shark struck and while Daniel is understood not to have witnessed the actual attack, he realised his father was in trouble when he saw the water turn red with blood.He swam quickly to the beach, shouting for help. Rescuers later reported they had found parts of a wetsuit believed to belong to the missing man, as warnings went out to beachgoers to stay out of the water.

A fisherman faced a terrifying 10-minute walk back to shore after being savaged by a shark while setting his net.Ken Lindberg spent five days in hospital after suffering serious injuries while fishing with a friend off Maraetai."We were just checking the net, just walking along lifting the top up a bit," he told Newstalk ZB."The next thing I felt this almighty clamp go around my leg. I said to Jeremy, 'We're out of here'."Lindberg said his left leg started to tighten up as the pair waded back through the surf but was only able to look when they reached shallow water."All I could see was this almighty gash and a lot of blood pouring out. I thought, 'All I want to do is get back to shore'."He made it back to his friend's house where a towel was wrapped around the wounds to stop the flow of blood.His friend's wife then took him to Beachlands Medical Centre."The doctor had a look and said, 'It's an ambulance for you'."Lindberg was pushed out in a wheelchair with his leg still bleeding and taken to hospital.He needed 10 stitches above his ankle, four stitches to close his severed Achilles tendon and will not regain any feeling around his little toe."I haven't been out setting the net since then," Lindberg said.Department of Conservation shark expert Clinton Duffy said if Lindberg's wounds were the work of a shark it was probably a bronze whaler.The species can reach up to 3m in length and are common in New Zealand waters around summer.While they don't usually attack humans, it could have been attracted to Lindberg's fishing spot if there were distressed fish in the net. "That would be enough to attract a shark into the area looking for a feed."

Port Elizabeth - A 15-year-old boy was bitten by a ragged tooth shark after a long battle between his friend and the shark.
Luke Parker from Port Elizabeth received 45 stitches after the incident at Plettenberg Bay.
Luke and two friends were fishing on Wednesday evening, when his friend, Guy Moorecraft, got a bite. Guy struggled for about two hours to get the shark to shore.
Finally the shark which weighed about 100kg pulled Guy from the rocks into the shallow water. The fishing line - which can carry up to 40kg - broke.
Guy's two friends, Luke and Ricardo do Pinero - all are 15 and pupils at Grey High School - quickly jumped in after him.

Grabbed tail fin
Guy grabbed the shark's tail fin and the shark swung to the right and got hold of Luke's legs and lower body.
Guy was scared the shark would pull Luke into the deep sea. "I immediately bent over and tried to pull the shark's jaws from Luke's leg."
Luke finally managed to free himself and ran to the beach, where paramedics from the National Sea Rescue Institute took him to the NSRI station for treatment. "I didn't really feel much pain, because I was too shocked," said Luke from his parents' home in Port Elizabeth.
"Only once I saw the blood running down my leg, did it become painful."
The shark disappeared into the waves.

During December 2008, Darryl Kriel was attacked by a shark whilst spearfishing at Chidenguele in southern Mozambique. He was spearfishing with a local spearo on a shore dive when the attack took place. He was in shallow water when he was bitten on the upper part of his leg. The attack was fatal and our condolences go to his family and friends.

One crew member was killed by a shark and another 18 were missing after a Taiwanese fishing vessel capsized in rough seas off Taiwan's southern tip, rescue services said yesterday. The Kaohsiung-registered fishing trawler Fu Chi Hsiang 767 carried a crew of 28, including six Taiwanese nationals, twelve Chinese, eight Vietnamese and two Filipinos, rescue services said.Only nine crew members were rescued by yesterday noon, with 18 still missing. One of the rescued crew told reporters that he had seen one of his colleagues, 45-year-old Taiwanese citizen Chen Te-hsing, being attacked and bitten by a shark. The other fishermen held on to Chen for hours, but loss of blood sent him into shock, the eyewitness said. A wave sent Chen to the bottom of the sea, he said. Rescue workers were unable to recover his body.A helicopter found the first group of seven survivors, three Taiwanese, two Chinese and two Vietnamese nationals. Later yesterday afternoon, a rescue vessel found another two Vietnamese crew members, the coastguard said.The men spent more than 16 hours in the cold water, but three of the survivors were let out of hospital yesterday evening.

BAGUIO CITY – A 39-year-old fisherman from the fishing village of Callaguip, Paoay town in Ilocos Norte was attacked and killed by a shark before noon Thursday.Local fisherman Joel Bacud who was with his 17-year-old son Louie, some three hours away at high waters off the South China Sea along the northern town coast went fishing aboard their motorized banca when the elder Bacud dived in deep water to check on their fishing net.A shark suddenly sprung and attacked the elder Bacud, said Paoay town police chief Senior Inspector Dexter Corpuz in a telephone interview.It was not known if Bacud had a wound because sharks only attack after smelling blood.When retrieved from the waters Thursday noontime, Bacud was already lifeless.The father and son went fishing around 5 a.m. and the attack happened around 10 to 11 a.m.The attack happened about three hours away by travel from the shoreline, Bacud said.The victim’s son Louie, 17, who was unhurt, brought his father’s body along the shoreline using their motorized banca.He said that the elder Bacud jumped off from the motorized banca with some bloodied fish catch which apparently drew the shark’s attention.

Eleven-year-old Hudson Anthony survived a nibble from a sand shark while wading in the waters of Santa Rosa, FL. Hudson was standing alone in a school of minnows in waist-deep water on Oct. 8 when he felt an intense, sharp pain. Then he saw a nice, big gash.“Shark Bait” was taken to Sacred Heart Hospital in Santa Rosa where the family learned from hospital officials that a school of minnows is the last place a swimmer needs to be hanging out. Sharks feed there. Based on the size of the wound, which required two layers of stitches and eight stitches on top, hospital officials speculated the gash came from a 4-5 ft sand shark.

Damjan Pecek from Slovenia was attacked by a shark ten meters away from the shore in Mala Smokova on island Vis in Croatia.

He claims the shark was 4 or 5 meters long and probably attacked him because he was carrying a bleeding fish he just caught. Shark bit Pecek’s left leg and he defended himself by grabbing the shark by the gills with one hand, while hitting it on the head with the harpoon he held in the other hand. Harpoon bent (makes me LOL, sorry) but shark let him go so his friends managed to get him in the boat.
I just heard on TV that two teeth were found in wound in Pecek’s leg and it is confirmed that they belong to the great white shark.
t’s big deal here because allegedly there are no great whites in Adriatic. Apparently, there are. I hope I’ll forget this event until next summer.

The victim became the 23rd shark bite victim of the year. That breaks the 2001 record of 22 bites, a tally that dubbed 2001 the “Year of the Shark.”

According to the Volusia County Beach Patrol, the unidentified man was surfing south of the jetty about noon when he felt something prick his foot.

UPDATE: The victim was 44-year-old David Logan. He had a few small puncture wounds on his heel which paramedics bandaged, then he was right back in the water. You’re a brave man, David!

Two surfers were almost simultaneously bitten by a shark today in Ponce Inlet, bringing the Volusia County bite count just one encounter short of its record 2001 "Year of the Shark."

A 43-year-old man from Ponce Inlet and a 15-year-old boy from Casselberry were surfing about 200 feet away from each other when they were bitten about noon, Beach Patrol Capt. Scott Petersohn said. In 2001, 22 bites were reported, including three in one day.

The surfers, who did not know each other, were catching waves in the area between Beach Street and the jetty rocks. They each suffered "very minor" puncture wounds on one foot and were treated by Beach Patrol at the scene, Petersohn said. It's unclear whether it was the same shark that bit them or who was bitten first.

"It's just a werid coincidence," Petersohn said. One of the surfers asked for help at a lifeguard tower. A Beach Patrol truck was called in, and while officers were on their way to the tower, they spotted another surfer on the beach bleeding from his foot and thought it was the victim they were originally called to treat.

Surf conditions were typical for shark encounters today. Petersohn said the water is churned up and murky with lots of bait fish.

Thursday, August 28, 2008 7:25:42 PM

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- For the third day in a row, a surfer was bitten by a shark.

The Volusia County Beach Patrol said the 19-year-old was in the water when he was bitten on his left foot Thursday.The victim was treated at the scene and then left the beach with a friend.The teen is now the 19th shark bite victim in Volusia County this year.The record for the county was 22 bites in 2001.

Thursday, August 28, 2008 7:29:02 PM NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- A 26-year-old man became Volusia County's 18th shark bite victim of the year Wednesday.The latest attack happened near the jetties on the New Smyrna Beach side of the Ponce de Leon Inlet.The Volusia County Beach Patrol said Alexander Zgura was surfing in the area when a 6-foot shark grabbed his lower left leg.Lifeguards said Zgura had over a dozen cuts between his knee and ankle, but chose to drive himself to the hospitalThe beach patrol said the attack may have been caused by a large number of bait fish in the water, which sharks feed on.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008 6:19:06 PM NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- A surfer became the 17th shark bite victim for 2008 Sunday.

The Volusia County Beach Patrol said the 20-year-old man was surfing near the 27th Street approach when he was bitten on the foot.He was taken to Bert Fish Medical Center with four lacerations on his foot.Lifeguards said he is expected to OK.

Shark bite reported off Sanibel

news-press.com • August 20, 2008

A Cape Coral man says he was bitten by a shark this afternoon, and Sanibel police are urging swimmers to be cautious.Around 2:45, Jack Miller, 47, of Cape Coral, docked his boat near the Sanibel Moorings, 845 East Gulf Drive. He was swimming with his son when he was bitten on the forearm by a shark, he said.Miller did not seek medical attention for the three lacerations on his forearm.Sanibel Police Chief Bill Tomlinson said the bite was not a sign that shark bites could be a more frequent problem. But he said it was a good idea for swimmers and boaters to be cautious.“You never know,” Tomlinson said. “People should be aware and take certain precautions to keep that from occurring.”

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

INJURED - 12 August 2008 - New Smyrna Beach, Florida, USA -- swimmer attacked

A 13-year-old girl (name not released) was swimming in waist to chest deep water off New Smyrna Beach, Florida, USA on Tuesday 12 August 2008, when she was bitten on the right leg by a shark.Officials said she suffered several small puncture wounds and one gash of about three inches between her ankle and her knee.No other details were reported.

Shark Bites 13-Year-Old Girl Wading Along New Smyrna Beach

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. -- Once again, Volusia County proved it's the shark bite capitol of the world. This time it wasn't a surfer who was attacked, it was a 13-year-old girl playing in the water Tuesday. The attack happened in a different place than they usually do, a good mile and a half south of where most of the New Smyrna Beach bites occurred. It's a beach that is more popular with tourists that surfers. One of the many people enjoying a calm Tuesday on New Smyrna Beach was 13-year-old Emma Klopchin from upstate New York. She was wading in chest deep water when she felt something grab on to her lower right leg. "All of the sudden, she felt the bite, looked down and immediately ran to shore," said Garry Mac, Bert Fish Medical Center. A couple of nurses who happened to be on the beach treated the deep cut and puncture wounds until paramedics could arrive. Doctors at Bert Fish, by now familiar with treating bites, were likely going to take care of it with stitches once they cleaned out what the shark left behind. "The think they have found one of the shark's teeth, maybe part of a tooth, in the wound and that will be Emma's souvenir to take home," Mac said. Last year, there were 17 bites for the entire season and Tuesday's bite has 2008's number already at 16. At New Smyrna Beach, there are more shark attacks per square mile than on any other beach in the world. If you've been swimming there, you've likely been within just 10 feet of a shark. There have been 210 attacks in Volusia County since 1982. The main reason is the area is rich with bait-fish and Volusia County is where sharks go to feed.

Wave saves surfer from shark's jaws

A SURFER says he was saved from a shark attack by a timely wave, but not before the predator bit through his leg rope.Aaron Seare, 31, was surfing at Levys Beach near Warrnambool in western Victoria yesterday morning and had caught only two waves when he spotted something about 30m away. "I wasn't too sure what it was," he said today."I was only watching the movement for a second before it's turned and come straight at me.I felt a tug on my leg rope but a wave picked me up and washed me back to the beach. I really freaked out." It wasn't until Mr Seare reached shore that he discovered his leg rope had been bitten in two. "I realised that was pretty close," he said. ocal fishermen said the marks on the rope were those of a sevengill or great white shark.

PANAMA CITY, Panama: An official says a Panamanian judge was bitten by a shark off the Central American nation's Pacific coast.Electoral Tribunal spokesman Humberto Castillo says electoral court judge Gerardo Solis was bitten on his left calf Sunday near San Carlos beach.Solis's father, Menalco Solis, told local media Monday his son was filming while sitting on a surfboard when the shark attacked him.He said the injury was not life-threatening and that the judge had been treated at a local clinic and released.

Ryan Seacrest was taking a swim in the Pacific Ocean in Mexico on Sunday when he was bitten by a shark, he said on his KIIS-FM radio show Monday.The "American Idol" host said he was "about eight feet out" when he felt something swim by him."I thought it was a stick," he said. "I wasn't sure what had happened."Then, he said, "I saw it swim! He took a bite, and he left."Seacrest, 33, said the shark's tooth "wasn't a great thing to find. It was like finding a splinter!Although he said he was "in pain," the "American Idol" host wasn't hurt too badly, but said he "needed to take an Advil."Asked by his radio co-host if anyone else was bitten, Seacrest said: "No, just me, of course! There were like 1,000 people in the ocean, and I get bit by the shark!" spy told the New York Post's Page Six gossip column that Seacrest was swimming in front of LG Villa Cabo, that the shark was a sand shark and that it chomped on Seacrest's toe.

Ryan Seacrest was bitten by a shark at the weekend while swimming a few feet from the beach in Los Angeles .Seacrest, the American Idol host was bitten on the toe, by a shark he bizarrely described as being about the size of an average cat.The cat-sized shark apparently left a tooth in his foot. No word on whether it was cat-tooth sized."I thought it was a stick!" said Seacrest. "I wasn't quite sure what had happened. I saw it swim! He took a bite, and he left."Seacrest did not need hospital treatment after the attack, but did take an Advil.

Last Edited: Friday, 25 Jul 2008, 7:33 PM EDT Created: Friday, 25 Jul 2008, 5:44 PM EDT

New Smyrna Beach , Fla. (WOFL FOX 35, Orlando) -- A teenager is in the hospital after a shark bite. It’s the second time a shark bite in New Smyrna Beach has landed a surfer in the hospital.17 year old Ethan Fulton was surfing near Ponce Inlet with friends Friday morning when a shark clammed down on his right foot. The staff and the physicians in the Bert Fish emergency room assessed cleaned the wounds started dealing with it and determined surgery was needed says Gary Mac, spokesperson for Bert Fish Medical Center.Scott Petersohn with Volusia County Beach Patrol says Fulton ’s friends never called his lifeguards for help. Petersohn says Fulton ’s friends loaded him into a car then headed to the hospital.During the trip, Petersohn says, Fulton began to lose consciousness so the friends stopped and called for help. According to Fulton ’s father that’s not all his sons friends did. They did use a surfboard leash to put a tourniquet above the knee says Bruce Fulton.The teenager’s mother and father rushed to the hospital after learning about their son’s injury. Bruce Fulton says the shark severed his sons Achilles tendon should have a 100 percent recovery but you never can tell with Achilles tendon because that is a very a place where you can have injury for the rest of your life if it's not repaired correctly says Fulton .Doctors rushed the surfer directly into surgery. Bruce Fulton says his son knew the risks of surfing in the area known as the shark bite capital of the world. He also says his son knew someone was bitten in the area earlier this week. Despite the injury Fulton says before his son went into surgery he left everyone know that when he recovers he’s going to get right back on his surfboard.

A woman suffers a bite to her arm in the first attack of the year for the stateA woman vacationing on the Leeward Coast was bitten on the arm by a shark yesterday morning, prompting the closure of Makaha area beaches until further notice.The attack happened while the woman was snorkeling in the waters off the Hawaiian Princess condominiums by Lahilahi Point.She was able to use her good arm to swim ashore and ask for help, bystanders said.Rescue officials saw a 16-foot tiger shark in the waters shortly afterward, but a state shark official said it probably was not the same shark that bit the woman because of the size of her injuries and the description she gave.Officials closed the beach for a mile in both directions from Lahilahi Point and posted "Shark Sighted" signs at Makaha Beach Park .

A young girl vacationing in Surf City is recovering after a shark bite Thursday.

BY ADI ANDERSON : NEWSROOM INTERNDespite being the victim of a shark attack, 8-year-old Madeline Sinsley, of Pinehurst, isn't scared of the water.She is quick to say that she wants to swim again."I can go in the water," she said in a phone interview, "just right now I have to have a plastic bag with masking tape on my foot."The attack occurred at about 1 p.m. last Thursday, while the Sinsleys were on vacation at Topsail Island ."It was craziness," said Madeline's stepmother, Kimberly Sinsley, who was in the water with Madeline at the time.The ocean waswarm and murky as Kim Sinsley waded up to her waist into the surf with her son Drew Viney, 9, and her stepdaughters, Madeline, and Kate Sinsley, 6."Suddenly, Madeline began yelling 'Ow!' at the top of her lungs," said Kim Sinsley. When she turned around, she saw a dorsal fin and some splashing.Her first instinct was to grab Kate and throw her toward the sand, telling her to get out of the water. She then picked up Madeline and began moving away.The shark did not intend to let go. Kim Sinsley hit it on its broad head twice, and when it still clamped onto Madeline's foot, she dragged it toward shore."It must've been about 5 feet long," she said, "and it was flipping everywhere. But it didn't let go."As she approached the beach, Kim Sinsley continued yelling "shark!", drawing a crowd. When she was in about 3 inches of water, the shark finally relinquished its hold, and the waves washed it back into the surf.Drew, who was standing behind the shark, was very nervous as it sank back into the ocean."It was dark gray, pretty big and really scary," he said. "It's going to be a while until I get back in the water."

Last Edited: Thursday, 24 Jul 2008, 6:10 PM EDT Created: Thursday, 24 Jul 2008, 11:38 AM EDT

New Smyrna Beach , Fla. (WOFL FOX 35, Orlando) -- A 15-year-old boy who was surfing on Florida 's east coast was bitten on his left foot by a shark.Troy Zettle stepped on the shark when he fell on his surfboard Wednesday. “As soon as I lifted my foot up to take a step, the shark just latched onto my foot,” said Zettle. “It didn't hurt, it didn't hurt at all in the water. all I felt were his jaws, I didn't feel the teeth."The teen was surfing on the New Smyrna Beach side of Ponce Inlet.Zettle had a number of stitches and is waiting to find out if he needs surgery.

ISLE OF PALMS — A local man was bitten in the forearm by a shark this afternoon while swimming at the beach near 31st Avenue . The 24-year-old Isle of Palms man paddled out from the beach about 2 p.m., said Fire Chief Ann Graham. "He said the shark jumped out of the water and bit him," Graham said. Police and firefighters combed the beach, warning swimmers to stay out of the water. The shark wasn't spotted again. The man was taken to a local hospital, and his condition was not serious, Charleston County EMS said.

Emerald Isle, N.C.(7/9) — A 14-year-old girl who was likely bitten by a shark off Emerald Isle has gotten out the hospital and returned home to Sneads Ferry. Baileigh Foster was swimming in waist-deep water when she was bitten in the foot around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.A doctor at Cartert General Hospital, where Baileigh was treated, said she suffered lacerations consistent with those inflicted by a shark bite.Baileigh said she had never thought a shark would attack her."It did, and I was surprised, but it's just one out of a million chances," Baileigh said.She underwent surgery to repair ligament damage and was released from the hospital on Friday.Doctors said they expect Baileigh to make a full recovery in time for her to play on her high-school soccer team this fall.Baileigh said she will not be afraid to go swimming in the ocean again – but does not plan to swim at dusk again.Shark attacks are more frequent in the early morning and evening when sharks are feeding in the dim light.

Georgetown County authorities are investigating what they think is a shark bite. It happened at around 2 p.m. Saturday, off Litchfield Beach in Georgetown County . Authorities say the shark apparently bit 17-year-old Julianne Lunti of Columbia in knee-deep water. Investigators say Lunti will likely need stitches. Midway Fire Rescue spokesman Bob Beebe says no one saw the shark, but the marks left on the teen’s foot are consistent with a shark bite.

STAFF REPORT
What do you get when you mix the good waves - the first in weeks -- with murky water near the New Smyrna Beach jetty? The 12th shark bite of the year. A 29-year-old surfer was bitten on his left foot Thursday afternoon. "The surfer was sitting on his board with his feet dangling in the water when he was bit," Beach Patrol Capt. Scott Petersohn said. He came ashore and was given first aid by a lifeguard, and it is unlikely the surfer will even need stitches, Petersohn said. He then drove himself north to the Jacksonville area where he lives. "The surfers have just been sitting looking at their boards," Petersohn said. "This is the perfect recipe for a shark bite -- lots of surfers and murky water at Ponce Inlet."

An apparent shark bite in chest-deep waters off Fernandina Beach has authorities taking extra measures to alert beach-goers to potential risks. Jennifer Castion of Birmingham, Ala., received severe lacerations to both sides of her lower right calf about 11 a.m. Friday, according to the Fernandina Beach Police Department. She was wading in the ocean around beach access No. 39 at Ozello Avenue near the golf club. She was flown via air ambulance to Shands Jacksonville hospital, according to Deputy Fire Chief Jeffrey Bunch. Bunch said the woman told him she felt something grab her leg in chest-high water. After a struggle, it let her leg go. Once ashore, her husband wrapped her leg in a towel, took her to the nearby beach house they were staying at and called 911, Bunch said. She never lost consciousness and was “remarkably calm,” he said. Her condition was not available. A nursing supervisor said she wasn’t listed in the hospital’s system early Friday evening. Florida ’s Flag Warning System is in place and “Dangerous Conditions” and “Dangerous Marine Life” flags have been placed at all guarded areas. Location supervisors are patrolling the beaches to alert visitors and advise them to use caution or elect not to swim. The Police Department also conducted air surveillance the length of Amelia Island . Police Capt. David Bishop reported seeing no evidence of sharks, although the ocean water was relatively clear. The local Civil Air Patrol has been asked to keep an eye on the shoreline throughout the weekend. Life guards also will monitor the water and report any changes. If confirmed as a shark bite, Bunch said it would become only the third such incident in Fernandina Beach since the 1890s.

After surfing for 40 years off Cocoa Beach , the last thing John Vasbinder thought about was sharks. At least that was the case until a few days -- and 45 stitches -- ago. Vasbinder, district vice president of the Central Florida YMCA, was lying on his surfboard June 7, paddling out to catch another wave, when his hand hit something. Turns out, something bit his hand. "I thought I hit a dolphin or a turtle or something until I looked at my hand," Vasbinder said. "The skin on my palm was peeled back in three places and a couple of my finger tips were bleeding." A shark, possibly a bull shark, based on where the attack took place, came up from behind. "I never saw it coming," Vasbinder said. "In 40 years of surfing, this is my first scratch." His wife, who was sitting on the beach, took him to a doctor. The 45 stitches were removed Wednesday, and Vasbinder is looking forward to surfing again. "The doctor told me I'd be back in the water in a week," Vasbinder said Wednesday. For now, Vasbinder is a bit of a celebrity among his colleagues at work. "Actually, yeah. I'm to the point that I now say a dog bit me because they don't want to believe a shark bit me," Vasbinder said. As for the bite itself, Vasbinder said it didn't hurt until he got to the hospital and the doctor put the anti-infection salve on his hand. Then, it burned, he said. Vasbinder sees the whole thing in a positive light. First, it was his right hand, and Vasbinder is left-handed. So, "It worked out great," he said. Second, Vasbinder feels pretty confident about the possibility of a future attack"I say lightning doesn't strike twice, so I'm good for another 40 years."

BRENTWOOD — Surviving a shark bite that tore into her foot and ankle is not how 15-year-old Madi Taff planned to spend her family's annual vacation in Cherry Grove , S.C. Members of the beach patrol from the resort area just north of Myrtle Beach say they haven't seen a shark attack in at least five years. The Brentwood Academy 10th-grader spent June 1, the first day of her family's week-long vacation, at the beach with her father and 11-year-old sister. Russ Taff was reading a book several feet away from the surf while Madi waded in the hip-deep water, keeping a close eye on Charlotte Taff, who was body surfing. All of a sudden, Madi said, she felt what she thought was a crab biting her ankle. Attempts to shake the creature off were futile. Unaware that a 5-foot long sand bar shark, also known as a black tip shark, was latched onto her, Madi walked to the shore where she saw her foot bleeding profusely. Her dad rushed to help her just before members of the beach patrol swooped in on the scene. They confirmed what Charlotte had just said: It was a shark bite. While everyone was in a rush to treat her, Madi said, she remained calm. She even took a picture of the bite with her cell phone. "They were all freaked out and concerned. When you say 'shark bite,' it sounds really bad and you always imagine your leg getting bit off or something," she said. But she was lucky, suffering only puncture wounds that called for 16 stitches and a week on crutches. In fact, she was so calm, she called her father on the way to the hospital and asked him to bring her makeup. Despite the attack, Madi insisted her family finish their vacation, and she even ventured back to the beach . . . though not into the water. Madi's mother said the attack hasn't broken Madi's spirit. In fact, she is planning to go on a beach vacation with a friend's family next week. "This is going to be one of those things she looks back on and (will) feel grateful that it wasn't worse, grateful that she was protected," Tori Taff said. As for next year's family trip, Tori Taff says she is "looking to have a land-locked vacation."

SAO PAULO , Brazil (AP) - A shark ripped off the right hand of a teenager swimming along the coast of northeastern Brazil , fire department officials said Monday. Pernambuco state fire department spokesman Marcio Maia said 14-year-old Wellington dos Santos was attacked on Sunday after he swam beyond a coral reef that keeps sharks away from the beach of Piedade near the state capital, Recife . Lifeguards rescued dos Santos and rushed him to a hospital, where he was reported to be in critical but stable condition, Maia said. Besides severing dos Santos ' hand, the shark "bit off a large chunk of his buttocks," Maia said. "People insist on ignoring the sign posts warning of the danger of shark attacks, especially beyond the coral reefs about 150 meters (490 feet) from the beach," Maia said. The attack was the 51st since authorities started keeping count of shark attacks in the area in 1992. Maia said that sharks have killed 19 people in Pernambuco state over the past 15 years.

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 24 May, 2008 : - - Acapulco -- A shark injured a 49-year-old American surfer Saturday off the Pacific coast of Mexico, in the third attack in a month. The Mexican Navy deployed personnel to warn people about sharks at beaches in Zihuatanejo, a resort northwest of Acapulco, according to a Navy official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information. He said authorities have not closed beaches in Zihuatanejo, but people were being advised against swimming. A day earlier, a 21-year-old Mexican surfer was killed by a shark off a nearby beach. The two attacks came a month after a shark killed a San Francisco man surfing in the same area.Local Civil Protection director Jaime Vazquez Sobreira said the American attacked Saturday lost his thumb but managed to get to a hospital on his own and was in stable condition.The Guerrero state Public Safety Department identified the man as Bruce Greems but did not give his hometown in the U.S. Vazquez Sobreira said he lived in Zihuatanejo. The U.S. Embassy confirmed an American had been bitten by a shark but did not have additional information.Mexican authorities used baited hooks to catch sharks last month after the attack that killed 24-year-old Adrian Ruiz of San Francisco. Local conservationists protested the hunt, and it was not immediately clear if authorities would do it again.Arturo Sabas de la Rosa Camacho, the Guerrero state environment secretary, said the government would hold meetings in Zihuatanejo next week with tourists, environmentalists, shark experts and fishermen to determine what actions to take. "We need scientific explanations for the shark presence, and if it's because of climate changes," he said.Cold currents and an abundance of giant squid and other prey may be attracting sharks to the area, said Jose Leonardo Castillo Geniz, a shark expert with the National Fishing Institute. He said a large shark presence was unusual for the region. Geniz said the authorities should close beaches in Zihuatanejo instead of killing sharks. He also called for aerial surveys to determine what species has been attacking surfers.Aida Navarro, of the environmental group Costasalvaje, urged the government to post warning signs at Zihuatanejo's beaches. "Killing sharks is not the solution to preventing encounters with humans," Navarro said. She noted that some shark species are under threat from overfishing.

SYDNEY: An Australian swimmer who was mauled by a 16-foot shark and survived said he saw a shadow in the water seconds before the attack and thought it was a dolphin. The shark, believed to be a Great White, seized Jason Cull by the left leg as he was swimming at Middleton Beach in southwestern Australia on Saturday. Mr. Cull, 37, survived after grappling with the beast and after a lifeguard at the beach came to his aid. The shark was one of three that swimmers reported seeing at the beach on Saturday. Officials closed the beach after the attack.Tom Marron, a spokesman for the lifeguards at the beach, said volunteer lifesaver Joanne Lucas leapt into the water to help Mr. Cull after swimmers at the beach started panicking when they saw him struggling. “She heard the cries and knew they needed assistance and went straight in.” — AP

: NEW SMYRNA BEACH - A 6-year-old Deltona boy was bitten by a shark just before noon Wednesday as he waded in the water off New Smyrna Beach.Although the boy was taken by ambulance to a hospital for stitches, the bite on his left foot was minor, said Capt. Scott Petersohn of the Volusia County Beach Patrol.It was the 11th shark bite this year in Volusia County.While other shark bites in the New Smyrna area have been in the area of the South Jetty, this was near the 27th Avenue approach, about five miles south of the jetties, Petersohn said. That is a popular area of the beach, at the south end of the driving zone, he said.The boy was in about 18 inches of water, no more than a couple of yards from the shore, when he felt the bite and walked out of the water, Petersohn said.

ACAPULCO, Mexico (AP) -- A U.S. surfer was killed in a shark attack off Mexico's southern Pacific coast, officials said Tuesday 4/29/08. The San Francisco, California, man bled to death Monday after a gray shark bit his right thigh, leaving a 15-inch (38-centimeter) wound, the Guerrero state Public Safety Department said in a statement.The U.S. Embassy in Mexico could not immediately confirm the man's name, but local authorities identified him as a 24-year-old who was surfing with a fellow American. The other man was not injured.he attack occurred at the Troncones beach, about 45 minutes west by car from the beach resort of Ixtapa.The statement said the victim suffered wounds "that reached from the hip to the knee, exposing the femur."The victim was still alive when he was brought back to the beach. It took so long for the ambulance to reach the relatively isolated, undeveloped beach that a bystander took the victim to a local hospital in his car.The man died from loss of blood a few minutes after reaching the hospital, according to the statement.Shark attacks are relatively rare in Mexico. In 2006, the International Shark Attack File at the Florida Museum of Natural History reported only one attack in Mexico, which was not fatal.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. -- Swimmers were again cleared from a New Smyrna Beach Monday after a third swimmer in three days was bitten by a shark and treated at a hospital.The latest victim was the ninth recorded shark bite of the year in Volusia County, putting the number of bites ahead of the record breaking "Year Of The Shark" in 2001, according to beach records. Monday's bite happened when an 18-year-old was trying to get back on a surfboard near the Ponce De Leon Inlet's south jetty.The victim received stitches at a Central Florida hospital.Several shark sightings in the water prompted lifeguards to clear the water Monday, Local 6 reported.Meanwhile, over the weekend two different swimmers were treated at hospitals after being bitten by sharks.A 24-year-old man stepped off of his surfboard in chest-deep water near a jetty in New Smyrna Beach Sunday and was bitten on his right calf.He was taken to Bert Fish Medical Center and treated.On Saturday, a 21-year-old man was treated at a hospital after a shark bit his foot while he was surfing in the same area Saturday.Officials said Mark Pattison of Lake Mary was injured Saturday after he got of his surfboard near a jetty in New Smyrna Beach.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- For the second time this weekend, a surfer was attacked by a shark in New Smyrna Beach.The beach patrol said a 24-year-old man stepped off his surfboard in chest deep water Sunday and was bitten on his calf.The victim's injuries were not described as serious.On Saturday, another man had to undergo surgery after a shark bit his foot.Lifeguards said conditions were ripe for more shark attacks, especially near the jetty in New Smyrna Beach.Sky 13 captured sharks and swimmers just feet apart in the water on April 22.

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 25 April, 2008 : - - San Diego -- A shark believed to be a great white killed a 66-year-old swimmer with a single, giant bite across both legs Friday as the man trained with a group of triathletes, authorities and witnesses said. Dave Martin, a retired veterinarian from Solana Beach , was attacked at San Diego County 's Tide Beach around 7 a.m., authorities and family friend Rob Hill said. Martin was taken to a lifeguard station for emergency treatment but was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a statement on the Solana Beach city Web site. His injuries crossed both thighs, San Diego County sheriff's Sgt. Randy Webb said in a news release. Scripps Institution of Oceanography shark expert Richard Rosenblatt says the shark was probably a great white between 12 and 17 feet long. "It looks like the shark came up, bit him, and swam away," said Dismas Abelman, the Solana Beach deputy fire chief. There was a single bite across both of Martin's legs, Abelman said. The attack took place about 150 yards offshore. Several swimmers wearing wetsuits were in a group when the shark attacked, lifeguard Craig Miller said. Two swimmers were about 20 yards ahead of the man when they heard him scream for help. They turned around and dragged him back to shore. Swimmers were ordered out of the water for a 17-mile stretch around the attack site and county authorities sent up helicopters to scan the waters for the shark. Eight miles of beach were closed. "The shark is still in the area. We're sure of that," Mayor Joe Kellejian said. Hill, a member of the Triathlon Club of San Diego, said he was running on the beach while about nine other members were in the water when the attack took place. "They saw him come up out of the water, scream 'shark,' flail his arms and go back under," Hill said. "The flesh was just hanging," and Martin may have bled to death before he left the water, Hill said. A witness, Ira Opper, described the victim as "burly and athletic." He said the man was wearing a black wetsuit that was shredded on both legs. Club members had been meeting at the beach for at least six years and never had seen a shark, Hill said.

A 14-year-old girl was bitten on the foot by a shark while surfing Sunday morning, the Volusia County Beach Patrol said. The teen was surfing near Minorca condominiums between 8 and 9a.m. when she stepped off her board in knee-deep water and was bitten on her right foot. She was taken to Bert Fish Memorial Hospital and treated for puncture wounds and lacerations. Beach Patrol Capt. Scott Petersohn said that the area where the incident took place is where about 90 percent of Volusia County's shark bites happen.

SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- A shark attacked and killed a 16-year-old boy Tuesday (4/8/08) while he and a friend were bodyboarding off Australia's eastern coast, officials said.Peter Edmonds was about 50 yards from shore when the shark attacked around 8 a.m., lifeguard spokesman Stephen Leahy said.Edmonds suffered two large bites, one to the leg and one to the body. He died of extreme blood loss while lifeguards and paramedics tried to save him.It was the first fatal shark attack in Australia in two years.All nearby beaches were closed as a precaution, and crews were looking for the shark in the waters off Ballina, about 400 miles north of Sydney, Leahy said.Edmonds' bodyboarding friend, Brock Mathew, was leaving the water when he looked back and saw Edmonds "in a bit of trouble" and swam back to his friend, who he thought was trying to catch a wave.Mathew said he saw a "big, gray shadow" pass by him as he paddled to his friend, who was by then face down in the water."I thought he was only joking, so I went over to him and as I flipped him over I saw his leg," said Mathew, who dragged his friend to shore and tried with lifeguards to resuscitate him."He didn't make one noise," Mathew said.Edmonds' 20-year-old sister, Kylie, said her parents were numb from the sudden loss."They lost their baby -- what more can you say? The only boy in the family," she said.Leahy said there had been three shark alarms sounded in Ballina in recent months.Heavy rainfall over the past two days had made the area more susceptible to attacks, because sharks congregate near river mouths to feed in rainy weather. The beach where the attack occurred is just north of the Richmond River estuary.It wasn't known what type of shark attacked the teenager, though residents said bull sharks had been spotted in recent days.Detective Inspector Steve Clark said Mathew would be considered for a bravery medal for going back into the water to rescue his friend despite seeing the shark nearby.There are about 15 shark attacks a year in Australian waters -- one of the highest rates in the world -- but on average just over one attack per year is fatal.In January, a fisherman survived a bite by a shark he had reeled onto his boat deck. In December, a surfer was attacked by a shark at a beach north of Sydney, but his injuries were not life-threatening

(WPTV Staff) A shark took a bite out of a surfer at New Smyrna Beach today.18-year-old Joey Giangrasso was in waist-deep water near the south jetty when the shark approached.This was the fourth reported shark attack in Volusia County this year and might be the most serious.Doctors say the shark just missed a main artery and took a huge chunk out of the top and side of Giangrasso's foot.He was taken to Bert Fish Medical Center in New Smyrna Beach. He is sedated and might need surgery.However, his mom says, even this close call won't keep her surfer son from the water. All the shark bites this year in Volusia County have happened in the same area.

David MacAnally/Eyewitness NewsPendleton - An Indiana mom and her kids are back home following a spring break vacation that sent her to the hospital with a shark bite. It happened in the Atlantic Ocean near Cocoa Beach."It was probably in the 80's. My children and I were out boggie boarding on the waves," said Teresa Holloway describing their Florida vacation. But then a Spring Break trip for the Pendleton family turned from fun to fear."I was riding the waves in and all of a sudden I felt something very sharp on my foot," said Holloway.She feared for her three children. Her 16-year-old son was farther out. "I was thinking so many thoughts that second. Something had hold of me and I just needed to get away. It had to be something with a really large mouth since my whole foot was in it's mouth."Her legs were her weapons against a threat she couldn't see but had to shake."It had to be a shark," she said. "I just kept kicking as hard as I could. I don't think he was on me very long but I wasn't going to give him a second chance."She kicked the shark loose just as her son swam in to help her."He was on his way up and he kicked it out of the way. He didn't want to see what it was because my mom was yelling and stuff," Holloway's daughter later told a Florida television station."There were some men on the beach that had helped him drag me out of the water. They immediately found someone's shirt and wrapped it around my foot cause it was bleeding pretty badly," said Teresa. "Basically the top of my foot was filleted open so they had to tack that down. The bottom just looked like somebody took a knife and was cutting up and down my foot."Despite the bite, she says she will go back into the water. "The doctor told me at the hospital I had a better chance of getting struck by lightening. That's not funny because our house was hit by lightening and burned."It was not Great White but a small or baby shark. Teresa says she's thankful it was her and not her kids.The Florida television station says a check turned up two other bite victims there in the last year.

Mayfield -- The shark bite on Nick Canganelli's shin is no big deal for West Palm Beach, Fla., where it takes a gory mauling to attract attention. But at Mayfield High School, where classmates have only had to dodge the gaping jaws of vicious Lake Erie perch, it's a major happening. Nick, 15, said the one-bite attack just a few feet offshore from a Palm Beach Shores hotel last week made him a celebrity at school Monday. Photos of his bite are being passed around on the cell phones of classmates. And his mother, Toni, said she heard strangers talking about the bite at a dentist's office Monday. "I have a lot more people coming up to me and talking to me now," Nick said after school Monday, before joking, "I finally have friends." The family of six flew to Palm Beach just before Easter for a short vacation. Over that weekend, Nick and his three siblings were often in the water up to their chests. On Tuesday, March 25, Palm Beach Shores police said public beaches were closed because sharks had been spotted near shore feeding on schools of fish in shallow waters. The Marriott hotel where they stayed warned guests about going in the water but mostly because of rough waves, which Nick and his brothers had fun riding in a raft. When a school of fish came near shore, Nick said, he and his brothers tried to catch them by hand. His brother Anthony ran ashore for a pail and told their mother he had seen a dolphin catch a fish. Then Nick, up to his knees in water, felt a bite he compared to a bad dog bite. "When I turned around to look, I saw the fin out of the water and this gray thing swam away," he said. His brother and a nearby surfer estimated the "dolphin" was 6 feet long. Doctors at a hospital later told him it was probably a Spinner shark, which bites its prey and rotates to tear it apart. The round wound, about the size of an orange, needed 12 stitches. Police and paramedics confirmed the incident but could not verify the bite was from a shark since they did not see it. Police classified the attack as "minor." Doctors are telling Nick that the wound is healing fine and that he can return to track practice when stitches come out. He says he'll be careful in the water now, the family is more relieved than shaken. "It worked out," said his mother. "He's OK. And he's got a good story."

2008.03.21 21-Mar-2008 USA Florida Beachway Avenue Approach, New Smyrna Beach, Volusia County Wading

2008.03.21 23-Mar-2008 USA Florida South of Ponce de Leon Jetty, New Smyrna Beach, Volusia County Walking out of the water after surfing

Are the waters safe at Huntington Beach (HB)? Not according to Huntington Beach surfer Tom Larkin. Larkin claims he was attacked by a shark. Some experts believe it was a great white shark based on analysis of Mr. Larkin's surfboard.Authorities cannot confirm nor deny the alleged shark attack, but they seem quite doubtful. Other beach goers at Huntington point to the large number of dead sea lions washing ashore as evidence. But experts point out that the bodies are intact, where if a great white shark were responsible, they would be mangled.Personally I would be more worried about the potential of septic, polluted waters and over exposure to UV than I would be of running into a great white shark. But that's just me.

Shark attack at HTB Huntington Beach — On March 7, 2008 Thomas Larkin was surfing with two friends. He recounted the following; “I was surfing a 6’6” Avisco (carbon fiber) Surf Prescriptions Bat Tail Quad. I paddled out at Dog Beach near Huntington Cliffs around 7:10 in the morning at a pretty full high tide. Dog Beach is located in a stretch of Huntington City Beach between Seapoint Street and Golden West Street. I was meeting two friends there, Matt Donoghue and Craig Angel. The current was moving around a lot of water, and both of them were on longboards, so about 20 minutes into the surf I was tired of paddling over to them on my shortboard, and was surfing pretty much alone. There were two bodyboarders about 100 yards north of me, and I was almost due west of the ramp walkway. At about 8:00 AM, I caught my best wave of the session, and even though Matt and Craig had already gotten out, I wanted one more. I paddled back out and was sitting in the lineup alone, with the closest surfers about 200 yards south, and the bodyboarders were inside and north. I was waiting for a set for about 5 minutes when I felt a jolt down on the tail of my board, immediately followed by violent bubble cascade, which sunk the board down about another 8 inches. I didn’t really get what was going on as quickly as I should have, but as soon as it begun it had ended and I was apparently alone again. A wave popped up, I paddled into it but pearled because of the water in the nose of my board, I quickly got back on and paddled into the whitewater of the next wave and boogie boarded it to the beach where I emptied the board through the apparent bite mark." The diameter of the bite suggests an adult White Shark in excess of 15 feet in length. Caution should be exercised when utilizing this location for your ocean water activities. Please report any shark sighting, encounter, or attack to the Shark Research Committee.

AN electronic device designed to ward sharks away from surfers failed so spectacularly during a trial off South Africa that it was eaten by a great white.An inquest heard yesterday the Shark Shield surf model was activated on a float carrying bait when the 3.6m female shark approached. Rather than being deterred by the device, the shark, under the gaze of the Natal Sharks Board, bit into it. South Australian Deputy State Coroner Tony Schapel yesterday heard of the test failure during the inquest into the death of Jarrod Stehbens, who was taken by a great white shark while diving off Glenelg in South Australia in 2005. The inquest has turned into a trial of Shark Shield devices, hearing concerns that the electronic fields generated to repel sharks may attract them. Studying cuttlefish for the University of Adelaide at the time of his death, Stehbens had been provided with two Shark Shields on his dive boat by university staff - but he either didn't know they were there or chose not to use them. University staff have told Mr Schapel they questioned the Shark Shields' efficacy and believed there might be long-term health risks from using them. As a result, the devices were not compulsory. Rod Hartley, director of Sea Change Technology, which manufactures the Shark Shields, yesterday took the stand to defend his product. "There is no doubt whatsoever that it does not attract sharks," he said. He told Mr Schapel he believed a disgruntled surfer had started the rumour. "Nobody wearing a Shark Shield has ever been attacked by a shark," he added. Mr Hartley said the failed South African test on the surf unit - which has been held back from release into the marketplace - was due to a problem with the electrode's configuration. The device was now packaged with a large disclaimer warning it would only repel sharks when the surfer was still in the water waiting for a wave. "The surf product only can be guaranteed to work when it's stationary, not when it's surfing in the wave or paddling," Mr Hartley said. CSIRO shark expert Barry Bruce has told the inquest the shark that killed Stehbens was in "full predatory strike" mode and would have been nearly impossible to deter. His body was never recovered. Mr Schapel will publish his findings at a later date.

An Austrian man bitten by a shark while diving over the weekend near the Bahamas has died, authorities said Monday.The man "passed away from his injuries sustained by a shark bite," said Coast Guard spokeswoman Petty Officer Jennifer Johnson.The victim was identified as Markus Groh, 49, of Vienna, according to Ken Smeriglio, an assistant in the Austrian Consulate in Miami.Groh was diving about 50 miles east of Fort Lauderdale on Sunday at about 10 a.m. when a shark bit him, according to officials.The service dispatched a rescue helicopter, and its crew hoisted the man off the boat and flew him to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami.A crewmember aboard the 70-foot Shear Water had contacted the Coast Guard. The blue commercial diving vessel is registered to Jim Abernathy's Scuba Adventures from Riviera Beach.The company offers shark trips to the Bahamas for enthusiasts and photographers hoping to interact with hammerhead and tiger sharks, according to its Web site.Operators for the company stir in fish and fish parts to "chum" the water and attract the sharks, reads the itinerary. "Please be aware that these are not 'cage' dives; they are open water experiences," states the Web site.Abernathy had been told by the Bahamas Diving Association to exercise caution with more aggressive sharks such as mako, lemon, tiger and hammerhead sharks.

A YOUNG South West Rocks surfer was attacked by a shark last Thursday while surfing her local break. Fiona Casey, 14, was surprised and a little shocked when the shark attacked her in Horseshoe Bay. Fiona was paddling back out to the break after catching a wave when she felt something hit her arm hard. She lashed out and hit the one-metre shark with her elbow. Remarkably Fiona sustained no serious injuries as her wetsuit protected her from the shark’s coarse skin, but she was rather shocked and received a ‘dead arm’ after hitting the fish. “My dad is a trawler and I’ve been fishing with him a lot and I’ve seen heaps of sharks so I’m positive it was a shark I saw,” Fiona said. The ocean on Thursday afternoon was very murky and dirty from the river run-off, which created very low visibility in the surf. Fiona is a passionate young surfer and when she was asked if she got out of the water following the incident she laughed.“I was scared but the waves were just too good,” she saidAt 7.30pm on the same day surfers at Horseshoe Bay spotted another shark as the sun was setting.This time the shark really spooked the three surfers who all hastily exited the water and didn’t return.

A surfer across from Patrick Air Force Base's main entrance off State Road A1A has suffered an apparent shark bite, witnesses said. The man, who was not identified, refused treatment. Jon Humphrey, 33, said he and a friend had paddled out about 50 to 100 feet off the beach when another surfer near them began shouting "shark!" Humphrey said he looked up and the guy was "punching a shark that was on his foot." "He got onto the beach and was holding his foot," said Humphrey, who along with his friend grabbed a T-shirt and wrapped the man's foot. He said the wound appeared to be bad enough to require stitches. The water "blew up" around him, Humphrey said. He slipped off his board and went to shore. Humphrey said the shark appeared to be about 3 feet long. "I think I'm done here for the day," Humphrey said.

Written by: Tommy Ballantyne
South Africa - Glenwood surfski paddler Wayne Symington, 42, had a close encounter with a 2m blacktip shark while on a training stint 3km off the Suncoast Pirates beach on Tuesday when he was thrown off his ski."I was paddling at a fast rate out near where the ships are anchored when I was catapulted out of my ski when the shark hit the rear, tearing a big chunk out of it."I knew immediately it was a shark which had attacked me and that to survive I would have to get back on my ski as fast as possible, which I managed to do and luckily I still had my paddle in my hand," said Symington."As I turned the ski back towards the shore it began to sink as water poured in through the hole, but a big bubble of air got trapped up front and the nose of the ski lifted out of the water."I guess it took me about half-an-hour to get back to the line of shark nets and I was functioning on pure prayer and adrenaline," he said.He had to jump off his ski at the nets to drag his ski over them after it became snagged before he got back to the beach safely.On Wednesday Symington paid a visit to Jeremy Cliff, the curator of the Natal Sharks Board, who matched the imprint of the shark's bite on the ski with a specimen of a blacktip's jaws and estimated the length of the shark to be 2m.

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. -- A Brevard County man told Channel 9 a shark bite won't keep him from surfing again.Jordan Marsden is still on crutches, a week after he was attacked by a small shark while surfing at Playalinda Beach. Marsden realized something was wrong after he felt an excruciating pain in his foot."It felt like my foot got run over by a car, at first, and there was a lot of pressure and I put my foot down and then I jerked away and that's how I got the teeth in my foot," Marsden recalled.After getting x-rays, doctors found two small teeth in Marsden's foot. Even after examining the teeth, Marsden said he still isn't sure what kind of shark it was.It's rare to see shark bites in January, but the warmer weather brings more surfers into the water, which increases the risk of an attack.

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