A fisherman was bitten by a shark March 11 in the LLocos Region of the Philippines
Benan Reintegrado was spearfishing with his father north of Manla off the Barangay Villamar in the South China Sea.
The 25-year-old had just surfaced after attempting to catch a small fish. As he was holding onto the side of the motorized boat, an estimated 10-foot (3m) long shark grabbed his right thigh.
The fisherman held onto the boat as the shark attempted to pull him under. After the shark released his leg, Reintegrado’s father helped him into the boat and headed towards shore.
Thankfully, no arteries were torn and Reintegrado only needed 15 stitches to sew up the wound.
The bite won’t prevent Reintegrado from getting back in the water, as that is how he supports his family.
There have been a total of 44* shark attack bites in 2017, 5 of which were fatal*; 19 were reported in the US, with 14 occurring in Florida and one in Hawaii. Eight occurred in Australia, one of which was fatal.
All locations have been marked on the 2017 Shark Attack Bites Tracking Map.
*Two may be scavenge
