Three people are injured by shark attacks in Florida on the same day in a "incredibly rare" incident.
Local authorities said that a woman was sent to a medical centre after a shark bit her arm on Friday in Florida's Gulf Coast. They also said that beachgoers were prohibited from entering a portion of the shoreline. However, that was merely the first shark strike of the afternoon on what Walton County Sheriff Michael Adkinson Jr. subsequently described as a "exceedingly rare" day.
According to the South Walton Fire District, two young females were bitten by a shark less than two hours later while swimming waist-deep at another Walton County beach. "An event of this nature could occur in the present, and it could be prevented for twenty or thirty years," South Walton Fire District Chief Ryan Crawford stated during a press conference on Friday. According to the Walton County Sheriff's Office, there were two recorded shark strikes in the county from 2005 to 2023.
The director of the shark research programme at the Florida Museum of Natural History, Gavin Naylor, stated to The Washington Post that menhaden fish were most likely the cause of the strikes. Numerous little fish were swarming close to the coast on Friday, and some beachgoers enjoying the ocean got in the way as the sharks pursued and devoured them, according to Naylor.
"The slightest possibility that it occurs occurs only when the sharks are feeding in areas where people are present," Naylor stated. Although experts claim that sharks have been depicted negatively in films like "Jaws," they actually don't often attack humans. Internationally, there were 22 provoked and 69 unprovoked shark bites in 2018 (Florida Museum of Natural History). According to data, between 1990 and 2006, more individuals perished from slipping into a beach hole than from shark attacks.
However, the same places have already seen several shark attacks. Over the course of two days last summer, at least four shark bites were reported close to Long Island. Scientists attribute the rise in shark sightings in recent years to conservation initiatives. The director of beach safety for the South Walton Fire District, David Vaughan, told CNN on Saturday that it's possible that the three victims were attacked by the same shark.However, Naylor stated that it is likely that two distinct bull sharks, which are frequent in the area, were the cause of Friday's attacks.
He claimed that the fact that Friday's strikes took place in the afternoon was one of their most peculiar features. According to Naylor, the majority of shark bite reports occur during the morning or night, when their food fish are most active.
According to Naylor, "the sharks ignore the kids in the water when the fish jump out of the water nine times out of ten and the sharks follow them."
As per the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, sharks may inadvertently attack humans out of uncertainty or interest, wondering what's going on when they observe a person moving in the water.
The South Walton Fire District reports that at approximately 1:20 p.m. on Friday, a woman, approximately 45 years old, was bitten by a shark close to WaterSound Beach. Her injuries subsequently required the amputation of a portion of her left arm, according to Crawford.
The South Walton Fire District said that the second shark attack occurred at 2:55 p.m. on Friday, close to Seacrest Beach, approximately four miles east of the initial event. According to officials, one youngster was transported to a trauma centre with injuries to her hand and leg. Officials said that the other girl was taken to a hospital with minor injuries to her foot.
Adkinson stated during the press conference, "These people were hurt badly — life-threatening, lifealtering injuries." The Walton County Sheriff's Office said on Saturday that, while on patrol in the vicinity of Santa Rosa Beach, its marine unit spotted a 14 foot hammerhead shark. However, the incident was reported to be routine. Generally speaking, hammerhead sharks are not hostile towards humans, according to the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Following the three strikes, county officials briefly blocked public access to beaches. Red and purple flags, alerting people to potential dangers and potentially harmful marine species, were flown over the beaches when they reopened on Saturday, according to officials. They asserted they reduced the dangers of hazards the following day.
