A Florida man was bitten by a shark off Ponce Inlet in Volusia County, Florida September 17.
An unidentified Melbourne man was in 8-feet of water near the jetty when he felt a sharp pain in his foot.
The 28-year-old made it back to the beach around 4:30 p.m. and was treated on scene by the Beach Safety patrol.
According to a Beach Safety spokesperson, the man had several severe lacerations to the top and bottom of his left foot and was transported to the Halifax hospital by ambulance.
There have been five shark bites reported in 2017 along the approximate 5 mile stretch between Ponce Inlet and New Smyrna Beach.
The first occurred on March 27, when Robert Nesbit was bitten on the foot around 10 a.m. The 58-year-old had a minor wound and was able to drive himself to the hospital.
Melanie Lawson was bitten by a five foot hammerhead shark on April 4 near Esther Street Beachfront Park. The 51-year-old was hit hard on the side and knocked into the water. The shark left several teeth marks and a bruise on her thigh.
Bryan Brock was surfing north of the jetty when he was bitten on the foot and left hand June 10. The 19-year-old needed 48 stitches to sew up his foot and 4 for his hand.
Even though Brock has had two separate run-ins with sharks, he still loves the water. “Even though I got bit 2 times in less than a year, it did not alter my love for sharks and how I will back in the water as soon as possible,” Brock told Tracking Sharks. “I might be crazy, but I’d go crazy if I couldn’t surf.”
Chase Elmore was surfing at the jetty September 2 when he ended up fighting a shark. The 17-year-old was reaching down to grab his surfboard when a shark grabbed his hand around noon.
There have been a total of 78* shark attack bites in 2017, 5 of which were fatal*; 37 were reported in the US, with 24 occurring in Florida** and one in Hawaii. Twelve have been reported in Australia, one of which was fatal. Five unconfirmed worldwide and not included in the total count.
All locations have been marked on the 2017 Shark Attack Bites Tracking Map.
*Two may be scavenge. **One report may have been outside of Florida waters.
