Two surfers and an angler are healing after being bitten by sharks in Florida.
The first incident occurred Sept. 15 around 8 a.m. off Melbourne Beach.
An unidentified 25-year-old man was in the water near the 7400 block of State Road A1A in the Sunnyland Beach community when he was bitten on his left arm while lying on his surfboard.
He was able to leave the water under his own power despite significant bleeding, and walked a couple of hundred yards to Brevard County Fire & Rescue Station 65. An ambulance transported the injured man to Holmes Regional Medical Center for treatment of deep lacerations.
Second shark bite of the day in Central Florida.
Around 10:45 a.m., a 15-year-old was surfing off Ponce inlet when he had a run-in with a shark.
The unidentified St. Augustine teen was paddling in deep water near the jetty when a shark bit the boy’s hand and quickly released it.
First responders treated wounds on the teen’s hand and wrist, but he refused transport to the hospital.
The incidents bring the total number of shark attack bites in the state to 16.
Mullet and other bait fish are prominent in the area along the Atlantic coast this time of year. Sharks that are searching for a meal, may see a flash of skin in the water and mistake if for prey.
Earlier this month, a fisherman had a similar encounter.
The 54-year-old man from Winter Springs was surf fishing off Cape National Sea Shore Sept. 8 when he reeled in a fish. Just as he was releasing the fish, a four- to five-foot shark grabbed both the fish and the man’s right hand. He was treated on the scene and then drove himself to the hospital.
All locations are marked on the 2020 Shark Attack Map.
