FATAL – 11 October 2013 – The Point, Jeffrey’s Bay, Eastern Cape, South Africa – swimmer attacked

Burgert van der Westhuizen, 74, was killed by a shark while swimming off The Point at Jeffrey’s Bay, South Africa.

Burgert van der Westhuizen, 74, was killed by a shark while swimming off The Point – the lower section of the long world famous surfing point – at Jeffrey’s Bay in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. He was as an experienced open-water swimmer who regularly swam along the coastline of Jeffrey’s Bay, according to press reports.

An eyewitness who paddled out in his 5-metre ski to try to retrieve the body said the shark was longer than his ski and kept returning to take bites from the remaining torso. His legs had been severed. He was unable to retrieve the body as the shark eventually took the remains and dived with it.

The sea rescue service said they later found the remains of the body.

The eyewitness said he had just paddled past him when he saw “the shark come and hit him out the water. Right out the water.”

However, this is not clear as further into his account he says someone on the beach told him there had been a shark attack, when he says he paddled out to where the body was and the shark was circling it and taking bites. He then wanted to try lift the torso onto his ski, but the shark grabbed it and dived, which is when he saw the size of the shark. “It was at least five meters. My ski is 5 meters and it was longer than my ski. I thought ‘no this is not good’ and paddled in.”

You can see a video of his witness account here (interspersed with Afrikaans language news commentary).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUV1GrjYXf0

It was not reported what type of shark it was.

Sources:
IBTimes

News24

PIC Source:
JBay News

2 INJURED – 7 September 2013 – New Smyrna Beach, Volusia County, Florida, USA – swimmer and surfer bitten

New Smyrna Beach

Two people were nipped by a shark on the same day at New Smyrna Beach Volusia County, Florida, USA. The incident occurred on 7 September 2013.

A 25-year-old man was bitten on the shin around 4pm while swimming in waist deep water and a minute later a 43-year-old surfer was bitten on his foot.

The two victims had only minor injuries. They were treated by Ocean Rescue and then left on their own to seek medical treatment.

It is thought the same 3-foot shark bit both victims as the bites occurred less than 100 meters apart, according to the report.

Source:
Orlando Sentinel

PIC Source:
Wikipedia

INJURED — 27 October 2012 – Makena Landing Beach Park, Maui, Hawaii — swimmer bitten

A shark attacked a 51-year-old woman from California about 20 metres off Makena Landing Beach Park, Maui, Hawaii. The incident happened on Saturday 27 October 2012. The woman was not named in press reports.

According to a report in Maui News the shark was estimated to be between 10 and 12 feet long, but the species was unknown.

The woman suffered non life-threatening injuries, including puncture wounds to her right inner thigh and lacerations to the front and back of her right hand from pushing the shark away.

The newspaper reported she was transported to Maui Memorial Medical Center in stable condition.

Sources:
Maui News

 

INJURED – 19 June 2012 – Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA – swimmer bitten

Another shark bite at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Wow. Another shark bite at Myrtle Beach. This makes it 6 in the past couple of weeks. On Tuesday 19 June 2012 a 16-year-old boy (name not reported) was bitten on the foot by a small shark while in waist deep water off Myrtle Beach (near 6^th Ave.), South Carolina, USA.

Very little is reported on this except that his friend is quoted as saying ‘he was in pain and he couldn’t put any pressure on his foot’.

He was reportedly taken to hospital.

Source:
WTVR
WNCT

PIC Source:
WNCT

INJURED – 14 June 2012 – Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA – 4 swimmers bitten

The wound of one of the 4 shark bite victims at Myrtle Beach

On 14 June 2012 four swimmers reported being bitten by shark in separate incidents at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA. The bites were reported over a 10-minute span between 72nd Avenue north and 82nd Avenue North. However, at the time of this blog it was still not confirmed if they were in fact shark bites. Photos of teh bites have been sent to experts at the Shark Attack File in Florida for confirmation. However, one of the victims 16-year-old Jordon Garofalo said his doctor was pretty sure it was a shark because of the bite marks.

A lifeguard on duty at the beach is quoted as saying: “Nobody saw them. Even the guys that got bit didn’t see it. They’re definitely shark bites. One guy’s foot was opened up. The other had a full mouth print around his leg.” He didn’t see the other injuries.

Three people were taken by Emergency Medical Services to Grand Strand Regional Medical Center and the fourth drove himself.

A shark expert Dan Abel told media it was not likely the same shark was responsible for the 4 bites and reckoned it was probably black tip sharks. He said a black tip shark could have a bite between three and six inches in diameter.

Sources:

WTVR
News Observer

FATAL – 10 October 2011 – Cottesloe Beach, Western Australia – swimmer disappears

It is believed a shark took swimmer Bryn Martin, 64, while he was swimming off Cottesloe Beach, Western Australia on Monday morning 10 October 2011. He disappeared while taking his regular early morning swim. His body has not been recovered.

His bathing costume was recovered with bite marks consistent with a 3-metre great white shark, according to press reports.

At the time of this blog post police were searching for his body and had classified it as a recovery operation, rather than a rescue operation.

Martin was last seen by a friend swimming out past the pylon in front of the Indiana Tea Rooms at about 8am on Monday morning.  He was a couple of hundred metres offshore when he disappeared.

Further details are awaited.

Sources:

Perth Now

INJURED – 24 August 2011 — Holden Beach, North Carolina, United States – swimmer bitten

A brief report says a 10-year-old boy (not named) was bitten on the heel of his foot while swimming in 3-4 feet of water in the vicinity of the 500 block of Ocean Boulevard West, Holden Beach, North Carolina, United States. The incident occurred around 3.30pm on Wednesday 24 August 2011.

The boy was taken to Brunswick Novant Medical Center and was reported in a stable condition.

No other details were reported.

Source:
Star News Online

INJURED – 16 August 2011 – Mosquito Bay, Vieques island, Peurto Rico – swimmer attacked

The bioluminescent Mosquito Bay, Vieques island, Puerto Rico

Lydia Strunk, 27, suffered severe lacerations to her lower leg after being bitten by a shark while swimming at night in the bioluminescent Mosquito Bay, Vieques island, Peurto Rico.

According to the doctor at Rio Piedras Medical Center, where she was being treated, the wound was about 25 cm long – from below her knee to her ankle.

The shark was estimated at 1.8 metres (6 foot).

He said it appeared if the shark was “trying to tear away”.

“She has an imprint of all the shark’s teeth,” he is quoted as saying.

According to the report: Strunk was one of 16 people kayaking late Tuesday (16 August 2011) in the bioluminescent Mosquito Bay in Vieques, a tiny island just east of Puerto Rico. She jumped into the water with four other people when something hit the leg of the person next to her. Seconds later she was bitten.

The doctor is quoted as saying: “The shark’s mouth basically clamped over her calf.”

Strunk’s mother at the hospital to be with her daughter, said: “Right now we are taking one day at a time to help her recover … She has a great story to tell … that’s her story to tell.”

Strunk is expected to make a full recovery but will likely have some nerve damage and limited movement in her right foot. Doctors repaired four tendons that are used for flexing the foot.

The bay is renowned for its glowing bioluminescent waters and attracts many visitors. Swimming is banned in the bay to protect the ecosystem, although kayak operators let people swim despite the regulations, according to the press report.

The bay is also known to serve as a nursery for several species of sharks, including tiger, nurse, reef and hammerhead.

 

Sources:
ABC News

PIC source:
St John Beach Guide

INJURED – 2nd attack in 2 days in same waters in Far East Russia’s Primorye region – 18 August 2011 – Zheltukhin Island, Khasan, Primorye, Far East Russia – swimmer attacked

In a brief report a 16-year-old boy (not named) was bitten on his thigh by a shark while swimming off Zheltukhin Island in the Sea of Japan, Khasan district, Primorye region, Far East Russia. This follows a shark attack yesterday in the same district – where a man had both arms bitten off below the elbows.

The boy received “a tear wound to his thigh and his arteries are damaged”, local emergency officials were quoted as saying. He is reportedly in a serious condition in hospital in Vladivostok.

The attack happened after local authorities earlier in the day banned swimming in the area, following the earlier shark attack.

No other details were reported.

Sources:
AsiaOne

News 24

INJURED – 17 August 2011 – Telyakovsky Bay, Khasan, Primorye, Far East Russia – swimmer attacked

A report, thin on detail, says a 25-year-old man (not named) had both his arms bitten off below the elbows by a shark while he was swimming in the Sea of Japan in Telyakovsky Bay in the Khasan district of Primorye region in the Russian far east.

According to the report the attack took place about 50 metres offshore. He was also bitten on “other body parts”.

Khasan is close to the Russia-North Korea border southwest of Vladivostok. Experts say shark attacks in this region are extremely rare.

The man survived the attack, but was reportedly unconscious in serious condition in intensive care in a hospital in the Khasan district.

A witness helped the victim to get out of the water and also called rescue workers and medics, according to Interfax, the Russian news agency.

An expert was quoted as saying the shark attack was most likely related to feeding grounds as anchovies move towards shallower, warmer waters at this time of year.

No other details were reported.

Sources:

Gulf News

RIANOVOSTI