A Florida surfer was bitten by a shark off St. George Island, and a New South Wales teen is recovering from a shark bite in the same area where a husband fought a great white shark to save his wife.
The Franklin County Florida Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call at 12:51 p.m. alerting them that a man had sustained a shark bite to the arm. Officers and members of the St. George Island Volunteer Fire Department responded to Sikes Cut area and treated the man before he was taken to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital for treatment.
According to local reports, the man was sitting on his board when he was bitten on his hand. Witnesses believe it was a bull shark, but that is unconfirmed. The area near St. George Island has a wide variety of shark species, and it is quite unusual to see anyone surfing at Sikes Cut because the water can be very dark and not an ideal place to surf.
A diver filmed a white shark off the island in 2015.
Grayson Shepard was spearfishing off the Island in 2015 when he ran into a surprise visitor, a great white shark.
During his last dive of the day, the charter boat captain was killing evasive lionfish during a solo dive. As he was ascending, he spotted the shark that cruised around the anchor line.
Shepard said the shark was docile, but it was a great event and he is glad he captured it on video.
While shark bites are rare in the area, the Island’s water conditions can change rapidly. Visitors are advised to be alert to surf conditions because there have been two drownings in the past four months.
In New South Wales, Australia a 13-year old teen was bitten while swimming.
Around 6 a.m. on Nov. 2, the teen was swimming off Town Beach off the coast of Port Macquarie when a shark bit his finger, foot and upper leg.
Paramedics treated the boy on scene before he was transported to Port Macquarie Base Hospital in stable condition.
In the same Town Beach area earlier this year, a husband fought a white shark that was attacking his wife.
Mark Rapley and his wife Chantelle were surfing near Shelly Beach Aug. 15 when a white shark grabbed Chantelle. Rapley quickly went to his wife’s aid and began punching the estimated 10-foot shark until it swam off.
Mark helped his wife into shore where she was taken to the hospital with severe wounds to her calf and thigh.
There have been seven shark attacks reported in New South Wales this year, two of which were fatal.
While many swimmers fear sharks, drownings are a far more common occurrence. According to Royal Life Saving, 98 people died from drowning in NSW waterways last year.
Shark attack prevention and avoiding drowning tips often overlap. Tips include using beaches patrolled by lifeguards, alerting others if a shark is spotted or if water conditions are dangerous, and choosing to enjoy the beach from the sand instead of water. Also, learning first aid skills and training in CPR could help save lives.
Both shark attack locations have been marked on the 2020 Shark Attack Map.
