Shark Attack

This from usatoday.com:


Surfer recounts fatal shark attack in Fla.
DESTIN, Fla. (AP) ? The beaches of northwest Florida opened swimmers Sunday, despite a deadly shark attack that killed a 14-year-old girl on Saturday.

Beachgoers walk along the shore near the Camping on the Gulf Campground in Destin, Fla.
Mari Darr-Welch, AP

A surfer who tried to rescue the girl provided some details on the attack.

Tim Dicus was surfing when he heard the scream. He turned and saw a girl swimming as fast as she could ? and another one face down in a bloody circle of water. Dicus, 54, paddled over to the wounded 14-year-old girl, who had been swimming on a boogie board about 100 yards offshore.

"Right next to her was the shark, about to come up and attack her again," Dicus said. He put the girl on his surf board and the shark ? which appeared to be a bull shark about 8 feet long ? went after her hand.

"He just followed us right to the beach," Dicus said. "He was determined to finish lunch. I hate to put it that way, but that was what he was trying to do."

The girl was bitten on the thigh, and was taken to a hospital where she was pronounced dead, said Walton County Sheriff's spokeswoman Donna Shank.

Her name wasn't immediately released, but officials said the girl was on vacation from Gonzales, La.

Dicus said he punched the shark on the nose as it tried to attack him. Two other swimmers came with a raft, which they put the girl in and towed to shore.

Jeff White, 49, of Atlanta, said his son was in the raft.

"He said at one point, the shark was underneath them," White said. "So they stopped paddling. Somebody distracted the shark and they brought the girl the rest of the way in."

White said his son, Chris White, 23, told his father that "she probably may have already been gone before they got her to shore."

The attack happened near the Camping on the Gulf Holiday Travel Park, about 45 miles east of Pensacola on the Florida Panhandle.

Patrick O'Neill, the campground's general manager, refused to comment.

Authorities closed about 20 miles of beaches to swimming shortly after the attack. It's the height of the summer tourism season along the coast and the beaches were packed with people.

"It was a bad attack," said George Burgess, curator of the International Shark Attack File located at University of Florida. "Certainly it was a reasonably large shark."

Burgess, who was heading to the scene to investigate, said it was the first shark attack of any kind recorded in Walton County.

"It's not a renegade shark looking for humans," Burgess said. "Probably it was a one shot deal and it's not likely to attack again."

Twelve-year-old Robert Goodwin, of St. Louis, Mo., said he was in the gulf during the attack and ordered out of the water. His father, Mark, said the family comes every year and "it was just an eerie feeling to see folks sitting there on the beach" instead of swimming.

Florida had the largest number of documented shark attacks worldwide in 2003 with 30, according to statistics compiled by the American Elasmobranch Society and the Florida Museum of Natural History. There were 12 attacks off the coast of Florida last year.

Sympathy for the shark? You are sick.

JB, he is not sick, he is a biologist. Perhaps you should open your eyes to a wider view of the universe.
Do have a hatred of yourself for eating animals?

shark sighting in Blue Mt. Beach ???

My family and I just got back from Blue Mt. Beach, (beautiful area, by the way, but a little too quiet for us!) We were out on the beach and spotted a dark shadow moving quickly, it moved right down the beach about 50-75 yds. out. We got everyone out of the water. Later, a couple from Atlanta told us they saw a bull shark swim between some swimmers on rafts! Then, my husband and I were at Pompano Joes in Destin and saw the same thing from the restaurant! jeez! On our way home to Missouri yesterday, about 15 minutes from our home, we happened to hear about the shark attack on the radio!!! I was a little freaked out after seeing what I saw. I wasn't sure if it was a dolphin or shark, but it was big, probably 8-10 feet long. I read some on this forum about what really happened. Sooooo sad, and very scary.

This from usatoday.com:

DESTIN, Fla. (AP) ? The beaches of northwest Florida opened swimmers Sunday, despite a deadly shark attack that killed a 14-year-old girl on Saturday.

Water was closed to swimmers this morning in Grayton Beach. There was a beautiful calm over the water, several people fishing from shore, no one wading in the water, and two kayakers puttsing around enjoying the morning.

Re: shark sighting in Blue Mt. Beach!

Folks are on edge. Last night on the beach a girl about 20 was ankle deep and her mom was yelling at her.

With all due respect and sensitivity, sharks are in our waters all the time and rarely bother people. Most are harmless sand sharks. It's doubtful that the average beach goer would know the difference between a bull and other types of sharks.

Many times people mistake dolphins for sharks, but more often Cobia are mistaken for sharks. Cobia swimming look exactly like a shark to the average person.

Here's a pic of a Cobia:

Re: shark sighting in Blue Mt. Beach!

Yes, I'm sure you are right, I wouldn't know what I was looking at, exactly... , it could have been anything, it was just a strange coincidence that this shark attack happened after we'd seen these "dark shadows" in the water. How big are Cobia? (I know they are yummy to eat!). And the pic you showed could have surely been mistaken for a shark. It did scare us

JB, he is not sick, he is a biologist. Perhaps you should open your eyes to a wider view of the universe.
Do have a hatred of yourself for eating animals?

C'mon, Joe. That's not a fair analogy. A little girl is dead. Forgive me if I have no sympathy for the amimal that killed her.

In light of what has happened, I found his comment highly inappropriate, if not downright offensive.

Re: shark sighting in Blue Mt. Beach!

Cobia get up to about 6 feet and 150 .lbs but most are smaller. Remember that fish in the water usually look much bigger than they really are.

Re: shark sighting in Blue Mt. Beach!

Wow! That's very possible that's what it was then!

Re: shark sighting in Blue Mt. Beach!

Many times people mistake dolphins for sharks, but more often Cobia are mistaken for sharks. Cobia swimming look exactly like a shark to the average person.

Here's a pic of a Cobia:

I once had the bageezers scared out of me by a cobia. I was belly button deep in water in lala land having a great time fishing. Then, I saw it coming toward me and I freaked out. When I got to shore and caught my breath, I realized it was a Cobia. I over-reacted by a long shot. The fish was maybe 2-3 ft at most.

Another time, while fishing in belly button deep water at Blue Mtn Beach, I had a 6-7 ft Black Tip Shark swim within 10ft in front of me, and I was fairly calm, of course he wasn't coming at me. I did proceed to fish, but I moved onto shore to do so.

Separate story -- Some friends of mine, fishing between Port St Joe and Apalachicola were not catching anything. The water was a brillant blue green color, and looked rather inviting for a swim. One of my friends had just commented that next time, he was bringing his swim suit. Not five minutes later, a 12-15 ft HammerHead Shark swam right beside the boat. I don't think he has ever worn a swimsuit again.

Re: shark sighting in Blue Mt. Beach!

I think it was last year that I remember seeing a photo in the Destin Log or Walton Sun, of a guy and the Bull Shark which he caught in the Destin Pass. I seem to remember the Shark was about 9 ft in length and weighed around 500lbs. :shock: Nothing like seeing that photo to make me not want to swim.

C'mon, Joe. That's not a fair analogy. A little girl is dead. Forgive me if I have no sympathy for the amimal that killed her.

In light of what has happened, I found his comment highly inappropriate, if not downright offensive.

Okay, you are fogiven. It really sucks that this girl is dead. Her friends and family will be forever changed. I cannot imagine how her friend who was with her is dealing with this. "Why did the shark get her and not me?" I am almost certain that this question will remain with her for the rest of her life. The guy who hauled her in on his surfboard will not be the same person he was while enjoying surfing Saturday morning.

To me, life seems to be filled with ups and downs. Everytime I become aware that life is good, something seems to come along at that very moment and knock me down. Life is filled with uncertainty. We can live a sheltered life, rarely leaving home, and have our house burn with us in it, which has happened to a relative of a dear friend of mine. Another choice is to live life to the fullest and sieze every day. Yes, there will always be obsticles, outside of our control, to our happiness. We will mourn losses along the way. Then, with the strength from within, along with encouragement of our friends, we will proceed to seeking happiness.

I can certainly understand any anger that anyone would have toward sharks, after having someone attacked nearby. It is okay to have those feelings. They are genuine and probably more true than most feelings. You are not wrong for having these feelings. With that said, our (hope it is okay to call him "our" ) friend, the biologist, in addition to having feelings of sorrow for the young girl, has every right to feel sadness for the loss of an animal in the area which he has dedicated his life to study . Humans are not the only creatures on this planet with lives.

Again, it stinks that someone was killed here Saturday, while on vacation with her family. It stinks every time someone is killed here, vacation or not, shark or automobile -- It stinks. Perhaps we will learn more about this girl, and we may be able to carry on some of her dreams in memory of her.

Certainly, it stirs some pretty strong emotions among all of us who love the area and grew up swimming in the Gulf along these same beaches.

I will continue to swim in the Gulf because I find it one of the truly wonderful things in life. It borders on being spiritual. There is nothing like diving straight into a wave and skimming along the bottom until I am out of breath, then taking that first, long pull of salt air. Great stuff. But I will admit I rarely venture more than 75 feet from the break line anymore. Back in the day, I would often swim and snorkel beyond the second sand bar, occasionally venturing out into the dark blue. No more.

Something just seems to stir the sharks up every now and again, thus incresing the number of sightings and raraly, an attack.

It is really sad that the 14 yr old was killed by the shark. I have two very young kids of my own. See, I recently moved here from a land locked location and have no experience of knowledge of marine life. I am trying to educate myself and my family (through boards like this) on dangers of the ocean. With that said, it is up to us to learn how to protect ourselves from many potential dangers in the water.

From what I learned sharks and other ocean creatures have the potential to harm if not kill us. They are just doing what their instincts propel them to do. A swimmer on a boggie board can appear to the shark as thier faviorite large fish meal. I don't believe it was a personal vendata against the girl and it would be sad to see the shark die as well for many reasons.

From what I understand, and please correct me, if a shark kills a human many people go off the deep end (no pun intended) by killing every shark they can to keep sharks from killing more children. By doing this it upsets the food chain and other predators take thier places causing just as much risk (if not more) to swimmers and other marine life.


Also, is there any NW FL websites that can provide information on closed beaches (red flag stuff) and shark sighting reports?

SWFD has current flag conditions:
http://www.swfd.org

A shark, a 200 lb. Tarpon, and a boatfull of foulmouthed retards:
http://www.snappertrapper.com/video.html

From TDC:

The Walton County Sheriff's Office is reopening the beaches today, Sunday, June 26, 2005, following yesterday's fatal shark attack. It has been determined that the tragic accident was an isolated incident.

Officials are urging swimmers to exercise caution and to stay near the
shore since sharks tend to be in deeper, warmer waters. Attacks are
more likely to occur between sandbars where sharks feed and can become
trapped at low tide. Swimmers should also avoid swimming near schools
of baitfish, which may attract sharks.

A shark attack is a potential danger that must be acknowledged by anyone
that enters the gulf, but it should be kept in perspective. Bees, wasps
and snakes are responsible for far more fatalities each year. In the
United States the annual risk of death from lightning is 30 times
greater than that from shark attack.


Reducing the Risk of a Shark Encounter:
Advice to Aquatic Recreationists



The relative risk of a shark attack is very small but, risks should always be minimized whenever possible in any activity. The chances of having an interaction with a shark can be reduced if one heeds the following advice:

• Always stay in groups since sharks are more likely to attack a solitary individual.
• Do not wander too far from shore --- this isolates an individual and additionally places one far away from assistance.
• Avoid being in the water during darkness or twilight hours when sharks are most active and have a competitive sensory advantage.
• Do not enter the water if bleeding from an open wound or if menstruating --- a shark's olfactory ability is acute.
• Wearing shiny jewelry is discouraged because the reflected light resembles the sheen of fish scales.
• Avoid waters with known effluents or sewage and those being used by sport or commercial fisherman, especially if there are signs of bait fishes or feeding activity. Diving seabirds are good indicators of such action.
• Sightings of porpoises do not indicate the absence of sharks --- both often eat the same food items.
• Use extra caution when waters are murky and avoid uneven tanning and bright colored clothing --- sharks see contrast particularly well.
• Refrain from excess splashing and do not allow pets in the water because of their erratic movements.
• Exercise caution when occupying the area between sandbars or near steep dropoffs --- these are favorite hangouts for sharks.
• Do not enter the water if sharks are known to be present and evacuate the water if sharks are seen while there. And, of course, do not harass a shark if you see one.

*Source: International Shark Attack File, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida

I remember reading that some 10 to 15 years ago the territorial limits within which sharks could be hunted were changed (hunting sharks had to be much further from shore) and that since that time there had been a huge increase in the amount of shark attacks around Florida. Has anyone else read this?

How sad for the little girl and her family.

We often see Bull Sharks off the water in Blue Mountain Beach..they seem to be attracted by schools of fish that seem to be attracted to whatever attracts them..food chain indeed.

Makes me leery of letting my kids suf this summer..well to be honest I am never thrilled when they surf, even as I did it as a kid, in the Pacific.

Different perspective as a Mom, I suppose.

STL Don, I remember reading something similar to that, about 5 years ago, when there were all those shark sitings/attacks. JB, any input, being you are our resident marine biologist?

I would be curious, during this busy summer week, if there were any highway fatalities in Destin. The press loves to cover these dramatic events, but I would guess that statistically, you're safer in the water than in a car on 98 in Destin.

Over the weekend there was a news article about enviormentalists getting Hong Kong Disney to stop serving shark fin soup because it was causing the extensive killing of sharks. Not to sound uninformed, but do sharks do any good, will the Ozone open if all sharks are caught and given to our far east friends to eat?

Over the weekend there was a news article about enviormentalists getting Hong Kong Disney to stop serving shark fin soup because it was causing the extensive killing of sharks. Not to sound uninformed, but do sharks do any good, will the Ozone open if all sharks are caught and given to our far east friends to eat?

He who disregards life of any kind, disregards his own soul.

I would be curious, during this busy summer week, if there were any highway fatalities in Destin. The press loves to cover these dramatic events, but I would guess that statistically, you're safer in the water than in a car on 98 in Destin.

That's a fact!!!

Sympathy for the shark? You are sick.

No, I am a marine biologist. The shark has a definate place in the ecosystem. Sharks and other fish can't digest big bones. Pelicans die by the hundreds every year because people give them scraps of their deep-water catches. The bones lodge in their intestines and they die a horrible death. People should have more kinowledge of and respect for nature.

It's significant to note how far off shore the girls were- 250 yards which is pretty far out and very close to the second sand bar where the bigger "dudes" prefer to hang out. Secondly they may have been in or around a school of bait fish which attracts any and all larger fish in the vicinity. We see those schools traverse the sand bar all the time. Bottom line is that shark attacks in the gulf are extremely rare. We're heading down to our favorite vacation spot next week and, it puts a damper on our excitement, but the news is what it is. The fact of the matter is sharks have always been there. The majority of shark attacks recorded from 1882 have been on the east coast. Lightening strikes are more frequent than shark attacks which is 1:280,000 http://www.lightningsafety.com/nlsi_pls/probability.html) In 1992, about 1 million divers swam in the Florida Keys. Of these, 2 were bitten (neither bite was fatal). What percentage of divers in the Keys were bitten? ANSWER: 2 / 1,000,000 = .000002 attacks per million people= .0002% bitten.* (source: http://www.mathinthemiddle.org/ocean/activity_3.htm) In other words you're about three times more likely to be struck by lightening. In any case, our hearts go out to the family mourning the loss of their daugher- I have two and it hit home. We will however, continue to embrace the emerald waters as a sanctuary to be visited and enjoyed.