SHALLOW DANGER
Boy, 14, bitten by shark in thigh-deep water as he becomes fifth victim attacked near shore at same beach
Some victims have had to survive major injuries
A SHARK has mauled a teenager in a brutal attack after a string of similarly bloody encounters in the area terrorize beachgoers.
On Monday, a 14-year-old boy became the fifth person to be bitten by a shark just this year in the county.
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The teen was playing near the shore at Ponce Inlet on Flagler Beach — just north of Daytona on Florida's east coast — before the dangerous encounter, according to local ABC affiliate WFTV.
The teen was bitten in his right calf by what officials believe is a 4-to-5-foot blacktip shark.
The victim was lucky enough to get away with minimal injuries — unlike some of the other unlucky swimmers to meet a shark in Volusia County this year.
In just the last six months, there have been five attacks in Volusia County alone.
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Three other people reportedly suffered shark bites right before the Fourth of July weekend at nearby New Smyrna Beach, including a man named Connor Baker.
He told the news station that a shark latched onto his foot while he was playing football in knee-deep water.
“I saw my foot, and I could see the bite on my foot,” Baker said.
“And I could see blood come out dripping off my foot. That’s when it really hit like, oh, it was legit a bite. I wasn’t just overreacting, I got bit.”
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THE DEADLIEST BEACH IN AMERICA
In recent times, the shark sanctuary has garnered a bad reputation for its string of attacks.
Last year, New Smyrna Beach — just 40 miles south of Flagler Beach — was coined one of the "deadliest beaches in America," by Travel Lens.
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A 2023 analysis gave each US beach a danger score based on surf fatalities, hurricane frequency, and shark attacks.
With a danger score of 8.4 out of 10, the Sunshine State's New Smyrna Beach was dubbed the most dangerous beach in the country.
Dr. Gavin Naylor, the Director of the Florida Program for Shark Research at the Florida Museum of Natural History, explained that frequent attacks around this time were expected.
However, he clarified that these incidents probably occurred because of low water visibility and mistaken identity.
Shark attacks in 2023: By the numbers
There were 69 unprovoked shark attacks recorded worldwide in 2023.
Global distribution of unprovoked shark bites (and fatalities):
- US 36 (2)
- Australia 15 (4)
- New Caledonia 3 (1)
- Brazil 3 (0)
- Egypt 2 (1)
- Bahamas 1 (1)
- Mexico 1 (1)
- South Africa 2 (0)
- Costa Rico 1 (0)
- Columbia 1 (0)
- New Zealand 1 (0)
- Seychelles 1 (0)
- Galapagos 1 (0)
- Turks and Caicos 1 (0)
- Worldwide 69 (10)
Florida tops the list of states with the most shark attacks (and fatalities)
- Florida 16 (0)
- Hawaii 8 (1)
- New York 4 (0)
- California 2 (1)
- North Carolina 3 (0)
- South Carolina 2 (0)
- New Jersey 1 (0)
SOURCE: International Shark Attack File, Florida Museum of Natural History
“When they’re chasing bait fish, the bait fish are very close in the water and they see somebody’s foot on a surfboard, or paddling, they see a flash of light skin, and they bite it,” Dr. Naylor said.
OTHER SHARK ATTACKS
While the 14-year-old boy was able to escape with minimal injuries, others have not been so fortunate.
Last month, another woman was brutally mauled by a shark while vacationing on the Gulf of Mexico.
The incident occurred at Walton Beach in Destin — a popular tourist destination off of Florida's Panhandle.
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"Multiple 911 callers reported an approximately 45-year-old woman was bitten by a shark as she was swimming past the first sandbar near WaterSound Beach," the South Walton Fire District wrote in a statement shared on Facebook.
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"Bystanders began rendering care to the woman before SWFD lifeguards and WCSO deputies arrived on-scene," they wrote, adding that the swimmer was on the beach near the intersection of Watersound Way and Coopersmith Lane.
The woman "sustained critical injuries on her hip and lower left arm," and was transported to the nearest trauma hospital in critical condition by helicopter.
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