cdiver2
Contributor
From Bay news Nine
You're not swimming alone
Saturday, June 18, 2005
Florida leads the nation for unprovoked shark bites.
Pinellas County is warning beachgoers to be on the lookout for sharks because rising surf temperatures in the summer draw them closer to the shore.
Florida leads the nation for unprovoked shark attacks, but shark bites on the west coast are rare.
"In summertime we have more species," Robert Hueter of Mote Marine Lab Shark Research said. "Some are more aggressive, actively feeding."
Recently, a Polk County woman was bitten by a shark while swimming at Sand Key.
"I thought one of the children had jumped on me," bite victim Michele Smith said. "Then I felt pain and I started swiping and it kept biting. I got up and it latched onto my arm and I started yelling, 'get out of the water'."
She suffered multiple puncture wounds and bruises.
Marine scientists said unprovoked shark attacks are very rare in Pinellas County.
So far, only eight have ever been reported, however, two of those were fatal. The last fatal bite occurred in 2000.
"These are not great white sharks we're talking about, these are smaller animals, so even if sharks are seen, it doesn't mean there will be a shark attack," Hueter said.
Researchers said sharks are most active during dawn, dusk and night.
"The phrase we use is between the months of five through nine, go swimming from nine to five," Hueter said.
Beach goers should also swim in groups, avoid murky waters and swim close enough to shore to get help if needed.
Researchers said sharks are very good at identifying their favorite food, which is fish, not people.
Usually when it realizes it doesn't have a fish, it lets go and swims away.
An average of only 10 deaths are reported from shark attacks worldwide each year.
In Florida, most of the shark bites and attacks occur on the east coast in Volusia County.
You're not swimming alone
Saturday, June 18, 2005
Florida leads the nation for unprovoked shark bites.
Pinellas County is warning beachgoers to be on the lookout for sharks because rising surf temperatures in the summer draw them closer to the shore.
Florida leads the nation for unprovoked shark attacks, but shark bites on the west coast are rare.
"In summertime we have more species," Robert Hueter of Mote Marine Lab Shark Research said. "Some are more aggressive, actively feeding."
Recently, a Polk County woman was bitten by a shark while swimming at Sand Key.
"I thought one of the children had jumped on me," bite victim Michele Smith said. "Then I felt pain and I started swiping and it kept biting. I got up and it latched onto my arm and I started yelling, 'get out of the water'."
She suffered multiple puncture wounds and bruises.
Marine scientists said unprovoked shark attacks are very rare in Pinellas County.
So far, only eight have ever been reported, however, two of those were fatal. The last fatal bite occurred in 2000.
"These are not great white sharks we're talking about, these are smaller animals, so even if sharks are seen, it doesn't mean there will be a shark attack," Hueter said.
Researchers said sharks are most active during dawn, dusk and night.
"The phrase we use is between the months of five through nine, go swimming from nine to five," Hueter said.
Beach goers should also swim in groups, avoid murky waters and swim close enough to shore to get help if needed.
Researchers said sharks are very good at identifying their favorite food, which is fish, not people.
Usually when it realizes it doesn't have a fish, it lets go and swims away.
An average of only 10 deaths are reported from shark attacks worldwide each year.
In Florida, most of the shark bites and attacks occur on the east coast in Volusia County.
