. . . until tourist season begins . . . and now you know why we call it tourist “season.” Yum!
Teen Surfer Bitten by Shark Off Fla. Coast
From Associated Press
November 13, 2005 6:22 AM EST
NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. - A surfer dangling his feet into the Atlantic Ocean on Florida’s east coast was bitten by a shark, authorities said.
The 18-year-old man was surfing in water up to 8 feet deep near the New Smyrna Beach jetty Saturday when the shark swam up and bit him, said Scott Petersohn, spokesman for the Volusia County Beach Patrol.
“This was a case of mistaken identity,” Petersohn told the Daytona Beach News-Journal. “The guy’s foot dangling in the water looks a lot like a fish.”
The man, who was not identified, suffered puncture wounds on his right foot, Petersohn said. He was taken to a hospital by ambulance in stable condition, officials said.
The size of the shark was not known.
The incident was the second confirmed shark bite off a beach in this county in less than a month, authorities said. A 15-year-old > boy suffered minor injuries when he stepped on a shark Oct. 15 > at the Ponce Inlet jetty.
These types of reports really vex me. Nowhere does it say whether counselling was offered to the shark to overcome the trauma, or if any steps were taken to help rid it of the taste of this guy’s foot. Clearly a case of more animal abuse in sunny Florida.
The water up north is cold, but at least there aren’t sharks and alligators in it. In Cuba, there is an alligator that actually leaps up out of the water to catch animals in trees. I saw that on Nature. Okay, I know sharks are the topic. Honestly, I don’t know how people in Florida even dare to leave the house. If you can step on a shark!
You may think that the cold water up north means no sharks but having lived in Newport, RI for a few years I can tell you there is a sizable population of Great Whites right off Block Island. It was not unusual to catch sharks while fishing off the beach. My 12 year old caught a lot of sharks there. It is true there are no alligators but be careful taking a large bluefish off the hook.
Hmm. Okay, how about large inland lakes up north? I know Northern Pike get big, but do they attack?
I do remember surfers getting attacked by sharks in the Monterey Bay and even farther north than that actually. But I sure never had to steer clear of stepping on one!
Well, I don’t think they actually attack, but my family used to vacation up in the UP of Michigan and my brothers would tell me stories of the man-eating 12 foot pike that lived in the lake we would go swim at - I fell for that hook, line, and sinker ( ) and was terrified to go more than a few feet out into the lake.
I wasn’t gullible enough to believe them when they tried to convince me that Jaws had moved into Lake Superior…
I don’t know if he was attacked per se, but my brother in law got a good bite from one while he was fishing in the St. Lawrence Seaway. It took quite a few stitches to fix things up.
Catfish bites are not all that uncommon and they are particularly nasty.
I have not myself enjoyed that experience, but I have had the privilege of being attacked by a large flounder whilst driving in 80 mph close-order traffic on the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, said large flounder having been ensconced in a paint bucket on the passenger side of my car and apparently not any too happy about it.
It had seemed to be watching me, but I did not realize that it was planning an attack on my hand the next time I reached for the gear shift. Flounder, it turns out, can fly and they have a full complement of teeth.
Sharks are constantly regrowing their teeth. They have three or four rows of teeth. As the front ones migrate forward to be shed, the rear rows move forward to replace them.
Its surprising how many people step on bottom sharks. This is often the reason for attacks by scorpian fish, as well.
Cynth, Joe’s right about musky. They look a bit like pike but are much bigger. In spring they will literally attack just about anything that moves in or near the water. You have to go north to the really cool fresh-water lakes to find the big ones. They live a few decades.
When I was at the KIngs Bay GA Submarine base I went to the golf course for a little “meeting” with my staff. I was told to be alert at all times as there were rattlesnakes, alligators and wild boar on the course. In fact the card had an entry that said gators on the left rattlers on the right try to stay in the middle. One of my friends who lived there said you don’t have to worry about those things. It’s the black flies that are going to eat you.
