In Florida, a swimmer suffered serious injury after being bitten by a shark, while in Australia, a pro surfer had a much too close encounter with a shark
In Miami, a swimmer was off Miami Beach, Oct. 7, near 10 street when he was bitten by a shark.
Mark Bowden, 31, was swimming near 10th Street off Miami Beach Oct. 7 when he was bitten by a blacktip shark.
Despite a serious 8-inch laceration to his right leg, he was able to walk out of the water. Lifeguards bandaged his wound before he was transferred to the Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital.
Photographs and video from the scene show ta large laceration on Bowden’s calf. Witnesses said they saw the shark’s fin in the water and watched as he frantically swam away..
A blacktip shark has been identified as the biter and may have been chasing mullet and baitfish, which congregate in the area during the month of October.
The beach has been closed between 5th and 15th Streets, and officials have used double red flags to warn beachgoers against heading into the water.
The approximate location has been marked on the 2020 Shark Attack Map.
A surfer in Australia had a close call with a shark.
In Australia, professional surfer Matt Wilkinson discovered just how close he had been next to a shark after he left the water Oct. 7.
The champion of three World Pro Surf League events was by himself in water off Sharps Beach, Ballina in New South Wales, when he heard a noise behind him.
“I heard a splash and a noise and looked around and couldn’t see anything,” Wilkinson said, according to a statement from Surf Life Saving NSW.
Then he heard a warning from a drone flying overhead. A Surf Life Saving drone operator had spotted the shark as it investigated the surfer and quickly alerted Wilkinson to its presence.
He paddled back to shore, still unaware how close the shark had been to him. Once he was back on the beach, the drone operator shared the footage..
“I got to the shore feeling a bit weird and the lifeguards showed me the footage and I realised how close it came without knowing it was there. It looks like it’s going for my leg and it’s changed its mind.
“I’ve been surfing with sharks my whole life and I understand they’re there and know enough about them to know they have not too much interest in humans. I’m just glad today the shark reconsidered at the last second,” Wilkinson said.
Lifeguards estimated the 5-foot-long shark was a great white. The beach was evacuated and closed for the day.
