2002 shark press archives

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World Shark Attacks Sink for Second Year in Row, UF Research Shows

Press Release

International Shark Attack File 2002 Shark Attack Summary

Below extracted from the above link from the shark attack files

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.

Shark attack victim doing well in hospital

Daily Dispatch  12/28/02

CAPE TOWN -- Shark attack victim Craig Bovim is recovering well in hospital after being mauled by a ragged tooth shark off Scarborough beach on Tuesday.

A spokesperson for the Vincent Pallotti hospital in Pinelands, Estelle Jordaan, said yesterday doctors were optimistic that Bovim, 35, who underwent a four-hour operation, would not lose the use of his arms.

She said he would be back in theatre later yesterday where doctors would re-examine his wounds. He was likely to remain in hospital for the next few days.

Bovim, who has been surfing and diving for crayfish at Scarborough for 17 years, told a local newspaper that he had spotted a ragged tooth shark swimming very close to him and had decided to try to swim away very slowly.

The shark followed him for about five minutes.

A wave then surprised him and filled his snorkel. His head jerked up and that was when the shark attacked.

He tried to push the shark away and at one point his arm went down the shark's throat.

He managed to swim back to the beach and was airlifted to Vincent Pallotti. -- Sapa

Oz shark attack

12/30/03

SYDNEY -- A Dutch tourist was attacked by a shark while snorkelling near Cairns yesterday, ABC radio reported 

The 18-year-old woman was swimming at Upolo Cay, 30 kilometres northeast of Cairns.

Helicopter pilot Tim Kasteven said she was in a stable condition. -- Sapa-DPA

More

Shark bites Salmon Creek surfer

Santa Rosa assistant city attorney suffers deep leg lacerations after likely great white tosses him, lets go

November 29, 2002

Woman attacked by shark off Maui

'It felt like he collided with me'

Tuesday, November 19, 2002 Posted: 9:14 AM EST (1414 GMT)

HONOLULU, Hawaii (AP) -- A shark attacked a woman off the shore of a Maui resort, but she bravely swam to safety without being seriously hurt.

Julie Glance, a 34-year-old bank executive from San Diego, California, said she had been in the water about 10 minutes on Sunday morning when something struck her shoulder. "It felt like he collided with me," she said in an interview from her room at Maui Memorial Medical Center, where she was listed in satisfactory condition Monday. Glance was bitten on the right shoulder, forearm and wrist. Screaming, she tried to get ashore. "She was just screaming, 'Help, help, help,"' Steve Bona, a Minnesota visitor, told the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. He said the shark was gray and 8 to 10 feet long. "I pulled my arm against my stomach very tight because it was very badly gashed," Glance said. "And I swam on my back in part of the way." Bona eventually helped Glance ashore. A doctor and nurse who were in the area treated the woman until paramedics arrived. "The doctors say it's pretty miraculous that I wasn't more damaged," she said. Ann Zeitler of Brookfield, Connecticut photographs her husband, Bill, next to a shark warning sign at the Hawaii beach.  It was the second shark attack on Maui in less than a month. The incident closed a mile-long stretch of beach until noon on Monday. Shark warning signs remained posted a mile in either direction of the attack to alert water enthusiasts of possible danger. After another Maui shark attack earlier this year, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources installed a number of permanent shark warning signs on Olowalu, a popular beach. Glance said she wished those signs were put up near Kaanapali. "If I would have known there was an attack two weeks ago I think I would have not gone out there," she said.

Man attacked by shark remains in hospital
By Alicia A. Caldwell. | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted October 2, 2002, 11:49 AM EDT

DAYTONA BEACH -- An Ormond Beach surfer attacked by a shark Monday afternoon remained in satisfactory condition at Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach Wednesday, a hospital spokeswoman said.
Matt Crawford, 47, underwent nearly eight hours of surgery to repair tendons in his right hand after being attacked while surfing with his son in Ormond-By-The-Sea, the spokeswoman said.

Copyright © 2002, Orlando Sentinel

Dr. Dave Fogelberg was surfing with a friend Sunday morning in Sebastian Inlet in Brevard County, Fla., when an 8-foot shark grabbed his hand and pulled him into the water.

"I remember him coming out of the water," Fogelberg said. "I saw him come out. I saw his nose peel back and his teeth come out."

The veterinarian received 70 stitches in his hand and arm from the attack, according to Local 6 News.

"(It) latched onto my hand," Fogelberg said. "(It) Pulled me down, pulled me off my board, pulled me into the water. "I was thinking that he's going to come after me again because I saw blood everywhere. I was sort of panicking a little bit."

Fogelberg was rescued by his friend and put back on his surfboard, Local 6 News reported. Both paddled in and then they went for medical help.

"They put a quick impromptu bandage and we rushed to the emergency clinic," Fogelberg said.

Fogleberg is expected to fully recover from his injuries.

A 47-year-old surfer was also attacked by a shark Monday in Volusia County, Fla., while wading in water off the old Ormond Pier, Local 6 News reported.

Matt Crawford was also pulled off his board when a shark bit his hand.

Crawford said that he had to pry his fingers out of the shark's mouth. He received several stitches and was released, according to Local 6 News.

Researchers said that there have been 22 shark bites in Florida this year. Three of them have been in Brevard County.          Copyright 2002 by Local6.com. All rights reserved

Man Survives Shark Attack

Lifesaver has close encounter with shark

CAPE TOWN -- A Fish Hoek lifesaver had a close encounter with a Great White shark yesterday, Cape Talk radio reported.

Paul Major set out in his surfski just after 4pm from Fish Hoek beach. He was heading towards Simonstown and was about 100m from shore when the man eater knocked him off his boat and began crunching the rear of his surfski.

He said the shark circled and then chewed the fibreglass while he lay very still and prayed out loud.

Then it submerged while Major balanced on the remainder of the ski.

He managed to swim back to shore. -- Sapa

Shark Bites Florida Teen

Surfer Bitten On Ankle

Posted: 9:04 a.m. EDT August 11, 2002 

VERO BEACH, Fla. -- A teenage surfer walked about a half mile to a lifeguard station while bleeding from his foot after he was bitten by a shark, officials said.

Brad Milliken, 15, said he had just caught a wave when he stepped down in water 3 feet deep and felt something grip his ankle.

"It didn't really hurt that much," he told the Vero Beach Press Journal. "It just felt like finger nails digging into my skin. I thought it was (my friend) pulling on my leg."

Milliken, a high school sophomore, was treated and released at Indian River Memorial Hospital after the 3:30 p.m. attack that caused lifeguards to clear the water for the rest of the day. The teen suffered a long cut on his heel and several teeth marks on top of his right foot.

Milliken's friend, Mike Morgan, 18, said he was surfing with Milliken when he spotted a 5 foot nurse shark and n his friend, but he couldn't be heard over the crasves.e was bitten, Milliken hobbled to the tatiohis surfboard.

Lifeguard Capt. Nathan Rieck said the shark bite was the first in Vero Beach in two years. In 2000, an 8-year-old boy suffered minor injuries to his arm and hand when a shark bit him.

Milliken received no stitches but left the hospital on crutches, saying he expects to be surfing again in two weeks.

"There's no question about that," Milliken said.

15-year-old surfer OK after shark bite (followup)

By Alicia A. Caldwell | Sentinel Staff Writer

Posted August 8, 2002

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- After a few jellyfish stings and four hours of surfing, 15-year-old David Brennen Smith was ready to pack it in for the day. But before he knew it, Brennen was limping out of the waist-deep water about 12:30 p.m. Wednesday with a shark bite on his left ankle.

"I had just caught my last wave and was paddling back in," Brennen said. "I got off my board real quick and it just bit me."

The shaggy blond-haired high school sophomore from Riviera Beach said the 2- to 3-foot shark passed by his arm and then clamped down on his ankle. He said it quickly let go and swam away before he could really see it.

"I was like . . . 'I just got bit by a shark!' " Brennen said of his initial reaction to the attack.

Brennen, who is visiting his grandparents in DeLand, was with his grandfather, James D. Smith, when he was bitten. He was taken by ambulance to nearby Bert Fish Medical Center where he received eight to 10 stitches to close the wound, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Brennen said he called his mother after he became the sixth shark-bite victim in Volusia County this year. Her reaction: "She said she threw up," Brennen said with a braces-filled smile.

Armed with a Polaroid of his wound to show his friends, Brennen was ushered out of the hospital to a waiting crowd of reporters.

He told the group that last year's numerous shark attacks off the Volusia shoreline didn't scare him and suggested that his wound wouldn't keep the lifelong surfer on the beach and out of the water either. There were 22 reported shark attacks off Volusia beaches last year.

No other shark bites were reported Wednesday, said Volusia County Beach Patrol Deputy Chief Joe Wooden. He said lifeguards did treat numerous jellyfish stings, though the number had been "reduced substantially" since the weekend.

Shark Bites Teen In Volusia

Posted: 1:42 p.m. EDT August 7, 2002

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. -- A 15-year-old surfer was bitten by a shark Wednesday near the jetty at Ponce de Leon inlet, according to Local 6 News.

Brennen Smith, who is visiting his father in Deland, Fla., was standing in waist-high water at Bethune Beach when the shark bit down on his ankle. He was at the beach with his grandfather.

Lifeguards reportedly treated a 4-inch-long gash on his leg before he was transported to Bert Fish Medical Center.

Last year, 20 of Florida's 37 reported shark attacks were in the waters near the jetty.

Hospital says shark caused bite at beach

By Sandra Pedicini | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted June 13, 2002

Copyright 2002 Associated Press

10-Year-Old Recovering From Shark Bite

Boy Thought Someone Pinched Him

Posted: 12:26 a.m. EDT June 10, 2002

JENSEN BEACH, Fla. -- A 10-year-old boy is hospitalized in stable condition after being attacked by a shark off Florida's Atlantic coast. 

A hospital spokeswoman says Corey Brooks received 125 stitches to close an eight-inch wound on his right calf.

The boy was bitten while playing in shallow water at a beach on Hutchinson Island, about 39 miles north of West Palm Beach. He was there with his baby sitter and her children.

A rescue worker says the boy ran out of the water crying -- saying he thought someone had pinched him. Rescuers say the gash went to the bone, but the boy was able to move his leg and toes.

Beach-goers were ordered out of the water for a couple of hours, but no one else saw the shark.

There were a reported 76 unprovoked shark attacks in the United States last year -- 37 were in Florida.

Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press

Shark bites swimmer in Florida

Two unrelated attacks in one day

June 2, 2002 Posted: 11:27 PM EDT (0327 GMT)

TALLAHASSEE, Florida (AP) -- A shark bit the foot of a teen-ager swimming about 200 feet off Florida's St. George Island, police said.

The 16-year-old boy underwent three hours of surgery after Friday's attack and is recovering well, said Jay Abbott, chief of St. George Island Fire and Rescue.

Abbott would not release the name of the Birmingham, Alabama, teen, who was vacationing on the island with his family. He was released from a Panama City hospital Saturday.

The boy was swimming with his brother when the shark, believed to be about 3 feet long, attacked. People were fishing and feeding gulls near the boys at the time, Abbott said.

The shark bite left a deep gash on the boy's left foot, but he was able to get to shore, where emergency workers treated him.

There were 76 unprovoked shark attacks in the United States last year -- 37 in Florida -- according to the International Shark Attack File at the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville. Three were fatal.

Another shark attack Friday, off Stinson Beach, California, left a 24-year-old man hospitalized with bites on his back and arm and a cut on his leg deep enough to expose muscle and bone. Lee Fontan was in fair condition Sunday and said he was just glad to be alive.

"I saw the jaws of death ... right in front of my face," he said.

That attack prompted National Park Service authorities to bar anyone from entering the water at Stinson Beach, about 20 miles northwest of San Francisco, for five days.

Officials in Florida did not close the St. George Island beaches after the attack or post warnings.

Copyright 2002 The Associated Press

Shark attacks man off California coast

May 31, 2002 Posted: 10:57 PM EDT (0257 GMT)

From Thom Patterson
CNN

STINSON BEACH, California (CNN) -- A Great White shark attacked a surfer Friday off the northern California coast, biting him on the leg and back, the town fire chief said.

The victim -- 24-year-old Lee Fontan of Bolinas, California -- was listed in critical condition and undergoing surgery late Friday afternoon, said Marlo Lucila, a spokeswoman for Eden Medical Center.

Fontan was pulled from his board about 300 yards offshore and "apparently fought off the shark," said Stinson Beach Fire Chief Kenny Stevens.

Stevens said the attack was witnessed by 10 to 15 nearby surfers. The surfers reported seeing a 12- to 15-inch dorsal fin during the attack.

Victim fought off the Great White

"[Fontan] had an approximately 8- to 10-inch laceration on his left leg with bone and muscle exposed," Stevens said. "And on his upper back area, he had a mid-line rib area wound approximately 8 inches long, and a nick on his left arm. This is a pretty serious incident."

"He kept asking if he was going to be OK," Stevens said. "We told him that he would -- and he will be OK."

Authorities displayed Fontan's surfboard to the news media. The board had what appeared to be two large teeth marks and a damaged area that measured about 5 inches across.

Surfer Brook Gardner said she watched the attack.

"All I saw was thrashing up and down," she said. "He was, like, punching it."

Another surfer who said he was in the water at the time of the attack said surfers organized themselves into circles to defend against the shark.

"It was a very, very big shark," he said.

The beach was closed to surfing and swimming immediately following the attack and will remain closed for five days, Stevens said.

Shark attacks rare in California

The chief said it was the first such attack at the beach in four years.

Stinson Beach, a coastal community of about 1,000 people, is about 9 miles north of San Francisco.

Sean Van Sommeran, executive director of the Pelagic Shark Research Foundation, a non-profit shark research center, said such attacks are rare in California.

"There have been less than 100 attacks since the 1920s when records began being kept," Van Sommeran said.

Asked if the size of a shark can be estimated based on the dorsal fin length, he said it is difficult to do.

"Most of these sharks that attack people are about 12 feet long," he said.

The largest known Great White sharks can reach lengths of 20 feet and weigh 2.5 tons, he said. A typical Great White will have 50 "active" teeth with three more rows of teeth behind them.

The average Great White shark is 12-16 feet long, with about 3,000 teeth. When the shark nears the surface, its dorsal fin and part of its tail are visible above the water.

Shark Bites Florida Fisherman
AP  Posted: 5:23 a.m. EDT May 15, 2002

NAPLES, Fla. -- A LaBelle, Fla., fisherman suffered a deep cut to his arm when a shark bit him as he tried to pull in his catch. Fermin Gallegos, 31, suffered a 6-inch long gash on his left forearm Monday from a shark he said was about 7-8 feet long. Gallegos suffered no bone or nerve damage.

Gallegos was fishing in the Ten Thousand Islands, about 150 miles southeast of St. Petersburg in the Gulf of Mexico, with a friend and nephew when he tried to pull a redfish into the boat.

"I reached over the boat to grab the fish and the shark grabbed me. I guess he was after the fish and my arm just got in the way," Gallegos said.

The shark let go before it could sever the arm, but the bite left an "extraordinarily deep" gash, Collier County EMS spokesman Jorge Aguilera said.

Gallegos was flown to Naples Community Hospital where he was treated.

Diver dies in Australia shark attack

April 30, 2002 Posted: 6:07 AM EDT (1007 GMT)

ADELAIDE, Australia (AP) -- A shark dragged a man from his friend's arms and killed him Tuesday off Australia's southern coast, officials said.

The victim, a 23-year-old professional diver, was diving for scallops from an anchored boat with a friend when he was attacked by the shark, South Australia Ambulance spokesman Lee Francis said.

The friend tried to pull the victim onto the boat but the shark pulled the man into the water, Francis said. The victim's name was not released.

The victim's friend was not hurt, but was taken to a hospital to be treated for shock.

"I understand he (the victim) came to the surface. There was a cry for help," Francis said. "But as the other person tried to get him on board, the shark grabbed him and pulled him underneath."

Francis said the men's boat was anchored off the small South Australian fishing port of Smoky Bay, about 500 kilometers (310 miles) northwest of the state capital Adelaide, when the attack happened around noon.

Smoky Bay is known as haunt of the great white shark.  However, officials could not confirm what kind of shark was involved in Tuesday's attack.

It was the fifth fatal shark attack in South Australian waters in the past four years.

Two surfers died after attacks on consecutive days in September 2000. A sailboarder was killed in May 1999, and in June 1998 a man was killed while diving for abalone.

Tuesday's attack also followed the discovery last week of human remains inside a large tiger shark caught off Australia's eastern coast.

The skull, arm and pelvis found inside the 3-meter-long (10-foot-long) shark were identified as belonging to a missing fisherman who was washed into the sea while fishing from rocks south of Sydney.

Copyright 2002 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. 

More on the above

Man bitten by shark in St. Augustine
Wednesday, April 24, 2002

Last modified at 10:38 p.m. on Tuesday, April 23, 2002

By Shawna Sundin
Times-Union staff writer

ST. AUGUSTINE BEACH -- It took a shark only seconds to bite into Robert Stinson's foot Saturday morning, but he'll spend the next several months dealing with the damage the animal left behind.

The 34-year-old Orange Park man was bitten standing next to his surfboard in murky water up to his waist while his family was on shore. It was the first shark attack this year in the Jacksonville area.

"I never saw it coming," Stinson said yesterday of the estimated 4-foot-long shark. "It hit my foot, took two quick tugs, thrashed a little and swam away."

He was taken to Flagler Hospital where he had surgery to repair a severed Achilles tendon and was released that evening. The shark also left puncture wounds and teeth marks on his foot.

Stinson will have to wear a cast for about four months and then go through physical therapy. In the meantime, he has to use crutches and can't put any weight on his foot.

"What a way to ruin a Saturday," he said. "It's pretty much ruined my summer. I can't do anything."

After the shark bit him, Stinson rode his surfboard to where his wife, 10-year-old daughter and 5-year-old son were on shore.

Mary Stinson, who is a nurse, wrapped a towel around the wound and had her husband lie down with his foot on a beach chair so it was elevated above his heart until rescue workers arrived.

"It just scared me to death when I saw his foot just dangling there," she said. "We're just glad it wasn't the whole foot. The big thing was I didn't want any of the kids to go into the water."

She said her husband had shown their daughter how to surf last year and they encouraged her to go out with him Saturday, but she didn't.

"God was watching over us," she said.

This was the ninth shark attack in Florida this year, said George Burgess, director of the International Shark Attack File at the University of Florida.

Attacks will continue to rise as it gets warmer and more people go into the water, Burgess said.

Volusia surfer bitten by shark

By Mike Lafferty | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted April 18, 2002, 2:24 PM EDT
NEW SMYRNA -- A 28-year-old surfer became the third person in Volusia County to be bitten by a shark this year, and the fifth in the state.

Nolan Sutliff of Port Orange was surfing about 11:15 near the North Jetty of New Smyrna Beach when a shark bit his left foot, said Beach Patrol spokesman Rob Horster. Sutliff suffered a deep cut on the top of the foot and several punctures to the underside, Horster said. EVAC Ambulance spokesman Mark O'Keefe called the wound “pretty serious'' but not life threatening. Sutliff was rushed to Bert Fish Medical Center in New Smyrna Beach for treatment.
Volusia County traditionally has the highest number of reported shark attacks in the nation. Out of 67 attacks in the United States last year, 22 were in Volusia waters. A rash of bites last year prompted officials to close the beach at the jetty for several days.

Scientist Bitten During Class On Shark Behavior

Officials Suspect Lemon Shark In Attack
Posted: 7:45 a.m. EDT April 11, 2002
Updated: 11:19 a.m. EDT April 11, 2002

WALKER'S CAY, Bahamas -- A shark bit a Fort Lauderdale, Fla., scientist Wednesday as the professor taught a class on shark behavior in the waters off this Bahamian island, police said Wednesday.

Erich Ritter, 43, was standing with four students in waist-deep waters Tuesday when he was bitten on the leg by what was believed to be a lemon shark, police said.

Ritter lost a large portion of his left calf and went into shock, police said. He was rushed to the airport and taken to a hospital in Palm Beach County, Fla.

Ritter had been conducting the class at a dive site where tourists commonly go to feed sharks on the north coast of the cay, police said.

According to Ritter's Web site, he is a dive instructor and a professor at the University of Zurich and Hofstra University.

No one else was injured in the incident. Police had no further details.

Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press.

Report says diver was killed by shark 0n 9/01

Associated Press

April 10, 2002

GAINESVILLE -- The death of an expert diver off Pompano Beach in September is officially classified as a drowning, but the International Shark Attack File now calls it the only fatal shark attack in Florida last year.
Eric Reichardt never resurfaced after a dive to a wrecked freighter in nearly 300 feet of water. His body was found four days later. His right arm and right leg had been torn off, and his wet suit was in shreds. After an autopsy, the Broward County Medical Examiner's Office declared Reichardt's death a drowning.
George Burgess, a researcher and director of the shark file, said Tuesday that Reichardt probably drowned while under attack by a shark.
Burgess said Reichardt, 42, may have lost his regulator in the attack, which came as he dove to explore the wreck of the Ronald B. Johnson, a freighter sunk off the Fort Lauderdale area as part of an artificial-reef program.
He said the main evidence of a shark death was the hemorrhaging from Reichardt's left thigh.
"There's ample evidence that this was a shark," Burgess said.
Dr. Joshua Perper, the Broward medical examiner, said Tuesday he doesn't know whether a shark contributed to Reichardt's death.
"There is some evidence that points to evidence of a shark attack, but we did not know it for sure," Perper said.
Burgess said it's likely that Reichardt, who was experienced in such deep dives, was attacked by a bull or tiger shark, at least 6 feet long.
"We've talked to some folks who have seen some monsters down there," Burgess said.
The first bite was probably to his left thigh. At this point, his regulator may have fallen out of his mouth, causing him to drown.
The bites to the torso, arms and legs came afterward, either from the first shark or from others, Burgess said.
Worldwide, there were five fatal shark attacks in 2001, down from 12 in 2000, according to the shark files. Two were in Africa, and three were in the United States -- one each in Florida, North Carolina and Virginia.
Florida also had 37 of the 62 unprovoked, nonfatal attacks in the United States last year.
Within Florida, Volusia County had the most attacks with 22.

Real-Time Shark Alerts Offered In Florida

Victim Received 11 Stitches

Posted: 7:47 a.m. EST April 2, 2002
Updated: 12:35 p.m. EST April 2, 2002

LAUDERDALE-BY-THE-SEA, Fla. -- A shark bit an Ohio swim coach on the arm Monday as the man swam in the Atlantic Ocean Monday.

 Matthew May, of Coldwater, Ohio, was in town with a group of children for a swimming tournament when he was attacked.

May received 11 stitches in his left arm after being bitten twice on the arm, according to Local 6 News.

"I thought at first it was probably a jellyfish," May said at a news conference, wearing a large bandage on his left arm above the elbow. "Then I saw there was blood in the water and blood running down my arm, and I realized it was serious."

George Burgess, director of the International Shark Attack File at the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville, Fla., said it was the fifth Florida shark attack this year.

Copyright 2002 by Local6.com.

Shark Bites Off Body Boarder's Foot

Officials Shut Down Beaches In Kauai, Hawaii

POIPU, Kauai, Hawaii -- A Hawaii teenager is recovering after a shark bit off his foot in an attack at a beach in Poipu, Kauai on Monday.

It happened just after 12 p.m., fire rescue crews said.

Witnesses identified the victim as Hoku Aki, 17 of Kauai.

Fire crews said Aki was body boarding for only about five minutes when the attack happened. He was 150 yards from shore at the time, police said.

Authorities said Aki was one of about five people who were in the water at the time.

"It was a big animal (that) hit him once and actually rolled over him, dragging him under," said John Naughton of the state Shark Task Force.

The victim's left foot was bitten off just below the ankle, officials said. Firefighters said Aki was able to swim to shore on his own.

"He lost a lot of blood in the water. He was going into shock, but he was still conscious at this time. He knew where he was. He knew his name," lifeguard Kalani Vierra said.

Witnesses said they saw Aki was pulled under twice. Rescuers said the victim was able to punch and kick himself free.

Jason Brown works at a nearby surf shop. He said he heard the commotion from the beach.

"A lady came in quite frantic, saying that there was a young man attacked by a shark. She thought at the time and he was 30 feet off the shore and he was surrounded by a big pool of blood," Brown said.

Beachgoers helped Aki out of the water and tended to him until paramedics arrived. Lifeguards and a vacationing nurse helped stop the bleeding, officials said.

Brown described what he saw when he reached the beach. "He (Aki) was lying there and you could tell by the shape of the towel around his leg that his foot wasn't there," Brown said.

He was taken to a local hospital where he was last reported in stable condition.

It's been raining on Kauai for about 24 hours and the ocean at Brennecke's is brown and murky. Previous attacks have happened under the same type of conditions, according to officials.

Aki's father said his son is beginning to remember what happened. "Certainly his spirirts are up it was quite an ordeal for him. But, he's recovering and he's doing quite well," Harmon Aki said.

Officials said they believe Aki was attacked by a tiger shark because of the severity of the injuries.

The last shark attack on Kauai happened in 1997. Teenager Michael Coots was body boarding on the west side of the island when he was attacked. He also lost a foot.

Copyright 2002 by NewsChannel2000.com. All rights reserved. 

Shark bites girl's foot**

The Associated Press
Posted March 25, 2002, 1:34 PM EST

COCOA BEACH -- An 11-year-old tourist was attacked by a shark Monday as she waded in shallow water on an Atlantic Ocean beach, officials said.

"She had a serious injury to her foot, but it was not life threatening," said Cocoa Beach Fire Capt. Rod Donhoff.

The girl was standing in knee-deep water when she screamed and began to crawl to the beach, witnesses said.

She girl was taken by helicopter to Orlando Regional Medical Center, where she was being treated. Her condition wasn't available, a nursing supervisor said.

Emergency officials refused to identify her, but WKMG-TV in Orlando said she and her family were from Sterling, Ill.

There were more than 50 shark attacks in U.S. coastal waters last year, including more than 35 in Florida.   

BUT***

 Lifeguards Question Reported Shark Bite
wftv.com

Doctors say it was a shark that bit a young girl at the beach today. Lifeguards are saying they don't believe it.

Here's one reason lifeguards believe Tori Lawrence may have been injured in some way other than a shark bite. Eyewitnesses all agree Lawrence was only in knee- to ankle-deep water. Lifeguards say that's too shallow for a shark

Eyewitnesses say 11-year-old Tori Lawrence's screams for help shattered an otherwise calm spring break morning on the beach.

"I thought maybe she'd just gotten stung by a stingray, but she's got major flesh missing from her foot," said Rebecca Jarrett.

The initial confusion even had family friends unsure about what was going on.

But moments after Lawrence's 9-year-old brother, Tray, pulled his sister from the ocean, everyone immediately assumed a shark was responsible.

"Couple of bites. One initial and then another on the top of her foot. Laid it open," said Tim Weir, an eyewitness and family friend. "Thank God it didn't bite her foot off."

Brevard's chief lifeguard is skeptical because he says conditions weren't right.

"There were no fishermen in the immediate area, birds are usually flapping in the area and baitfish, [but] that wasn't present either," said Wyatt Wernth, the county's chief lifeguard.

He says it could have been debris or some other sea life.

This was to be just a quick one-day excursion to the beach for the Lawrences between visits to Disney. But now they're keeping clear of the ocean.

"They were gonna surf all day today. And we won't be surfing today," Weir, a family friend, said.

Lawrence is in fair condition at Arnold Palmer Hospital.

However ***

Surgeon: Shark Bit Girl In Brevard

Girl, 11, In Good Condition

COCOA BEACH, Fla. -- Despite the doubts of Brevard County beach officials, a surgeon said a young girl was definitely bit by a shark at Cocoa Beach.......

Shark Bites Spring Breaker In Daytona

Second Person Bit In 5 Days

Posted: 4:14 p.m. EST March 19, 2002
Updated: 8:52 a.m. EST March 20, 2002

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. -- A shark tore into the foot of a person spending spring break in Daytona Beach, Fla., Tuesday while he tried to swim to shore, according to Local 6 News.

College student John Sadler said that he was bitten on the foot in front of the lifeguard stand in only 3 feet of water.

“I was in the water looking at my buddy in the waves and the next thing you know hejust came up and grabbed my foot,” Sadler said. “There’s about six different little bites on my foot, six different holes. I’ll probably need stitches on one of them.”

It is the second shark bite in the area in the last five days.

Lifeguards said that the latest bite is most likely related to the change in Florida’s weather. As water temperature increases, sharks often come closer to shore to feed on bait fish and sometimes mistakenly bite humans.

Sadler was visiting Daytona Beach on spring break from Valencia Community College in Orlando, Fla.

Surfer Gets First Shark Bite Of Year

wftv.com 3/16/02

There was a shark bite on the Central Florida coast on Friday. The beach patrol was warning surfers and swimmers Friday afternoon to be careful in the water.

The surfer is okay after getting a few stitches.

He surfer fell off his board at New Smyrna Beach and immediately felt the shark bite his leg.

It's early in the year for shark bites. Last year's first bite wasn't until mid-April. Plus the water now is 65 degrees, which is usually too cold for sharks. Lifeguards are just hoping this year won't be a repeat of last.

As usual, in the waters off New Smyrna Beach, there were plenty of people out surfing Friday. One of those surfers, a 31-year-old local man, became the first person to be bitten by a shark this year.

"He fell off his board and was nipped by a shark," said Ron Futch of the beach patrol. Beach patrol officers immediately starting making announcements, warning people about the dangerous marine life in the area. Familiar signs were also put back up.

Those signs were created last year after 22 people were bitten.

The shark bite happened right near Ponce Inlet where the majority of the bites happened last year. After the man was bitten went to a tower to be treated for his wound. Lifeguard and paramedic Ben Whetstine wrapped the surfer's right leg where he had several puncture wounds.

Most surfers say they're well aware there's a risk when it comes to sharks.

"Not going to stop surfing but you just need to be aware. I probably won't take my little girl out there," said one surfer.

Beach patrol officers say they believe the bite was an isolated incident, but they do caution everyone to be smart.

"If you're in the water and you see a school of fish or pelicans diving there's probably a predator in the area," Futch said.

Largest Great White Ever Caught by Natal Sharks Board  2/14/02 (Photos)

Biggest ever by the board

Thursday 14 February 2002 - Hundreds of people watched in stunned silence as the biggest great white shark ever caught by the Natal Sharks Board (see below for the biggest ever) was offloaded at the NSB offices at Umhlanga, Durban.

SABC radio news reported yesterday that the female was caught a week ago at Richard's Bay on an experimental drum line (these contraptions have replaced traditional shark nets). 

According to the SABC report, the fish, which weighs a massive 1.16 tons (1,160 kg) and is almost five metres long, will be dissected and its jaws put on display at the NSB's offices.

'Summer of Shark' scary but not record

Associated Press
Posted February 19, 2002

GAINESVILLE -- A spate of widely reported shark attacks last summer fueled speculation that sharks were attacking humans more than ever, but a study released Monday shows attacks for 2001 were actually down from the previous year.

Researchers at the University of Florida's International Shark Attack File recorded 76 unprovoked attacks worldwide in 2001, compared to 85 in 2000. The number of people killed in shark attacks also dropped to five from 12 the previous year--more...

Shark Attack in Sydney River

February 7, 2002 Posted: 9:53 PM EST (0253 GMT) By CNN's Grant Holloway

SYDNEY, Australia (CNN) -- A 35-year-old man has had a harrowing encounter with a shark while paddling a kayak in the habor waters just a few kilometers west of downtown Sydney.

The man was in in his kayak Thursday evening near the Cabarita Marina in the Parramatta River when the shark struck.

He was thrown into the water by the impact and then hit in the chest by the shark, which then began circling him as he swam for help.

The man was able to climb onto a nearby navigational buoy and was rescued by a passing fishing boat.

Water Police examining the kayak found a large bite mark and part of a tooth imbedded in the stern.

The man suffered bruising and minor lacerations in the attack, police said.

Sergeant Darren McGuire from the water police says the shark struck without warning.

"Something flung him into the water, hit his kayak and the shark rammed his chest and he's seen it then that it was a shark," McGuire told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

"He felt it as he was swimming, his hand punched the back of the shark or the head of the shark and he could feel it circling him and then he made it to the buoy and he scrambled up the and then he screamed for help," McGuire said.

KZN shark victim loses leg 

Daily Dispatch, East London, South Africa Monday, January 7, 2002

DURBAN ­ A 16-year-old boy lost his right leg after being bitten by a shark in Durban harbour on Saturday.

Addington Hospital matron Bernadine MacQuena said Imraan Sheik was standing in shallow water at the Point Yacht Mall when he was attacked. He was rushed to hospital but doctors had no choice but to amputate his leg.

SABC News reported Imraan saying from his hospital bed: "The shark grabbed me, pulled me under water and I used my rod to ward it away."

It is suspected the animal was a Zambezi shark which commonly attacks in shallow water.

MacQuena said Imraan was in a stable condition. ­ Sapa