"Shark Attack Survivors News Archive"

07/27/2020 - Julie Dimperio Holowach 63yr - Maine USA *** Fatal ***

We list all 2020 Shark Attacks Latest Recent Shark Attacks 2020 or Attack these include attacks and other shark related incidents for ocean goers safety...
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alb
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Re: 07/27/2020 - Julie Dimperio Holowach 63yr - Maine USA *** Fatal ***

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HARPSWELL, Maine —

The company that owns the kayak used to pull a swimmer to shore after a recent deadly shark attack off Bailey Island has suspended rentals for now.

The co-owner of H2Outfitters in Harpswell told Good Morning America that customers have returned boats that were already rented and that the company is discussing options.

Jeff Cooper says his company rented a tandem kayak to a man who was vacationing at a home near where the attack happened on Monday. Cooper says the man and his wife and mother were sitting on the porch when they saw 63-year-old Julie Dimperio Holowach get thrown in the air and knew they had to do something.

The man and his mother jumped in the kayak, which was pulled up on the beach.

"This fellow and his mother paddled out in their tandem to retrieve the body that was floating in the water, through all the blood and the gore that they had to deal with. That in of itself was no doubt traumatic," said Cooper.

The man's mother held on to Holowach's arm and used a paddle to keep her head above water until they reached shore. They did not see the shark again.

Cooper said the man doesn't want to be thought of as a hero but he called the man's actions "courageous."

Cooper said he helped alert swimmers in the area to get out of the water and also notified a kayak rescue class hosted by his company that was underway nearby.

Cooper also said that he has not seen many seals in the immediate area recently.

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alb
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Re: 07/27/2020 - Julie Dimperio Holowach 63yr - Maine USA *** Fatal ***

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Woman killed in apparent shark attack off Maine coast

The Maine Marine Patrol is investigating the death of a woman Monday near Bailey Island. (WGME)

BAILEY ISLAND (WGME) – A woman was killed in an apparent shark attack near Harpswell Monday afternoon. This may be the first fatal shark attack in Maine recorded history.

The apparent attack happened Monday afternoon in the water off of Bailey Island, at the very end of Harpswell across Casco Bay from greater Portland.
Maine coast could see more great white sharks, scientist says

Investigators are working to confirm that it was a shark attack, which scientists say would be first for Maine.

The Maine Marine Patrol says an eyewitness reported that the woman was swimming off the shore near White Sail Lane when she was badly injured in what appeared to be a shark attack.

Marine Patrol says nearby kayakers rushed over and brought her to shore.

First responders pronounced her dead on the scene.

Local researcher warns more sharks are visiting Maine waters

Marine Patrol is warning swimmers and boaters to use caution in the area, and to stay away from schools of fish and seals.

The victim’s identity has not yet been released and right now there is no word yet as to what kind of shark it may have been.

The Maine Marine Patrol is still investigating.


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alb
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Re: 07/27/2020 - Female - Maine USA *** Fatal ***

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On July 27 two women were swimming near Mackerel Cove off Bailey Island in Harpswell.

Around 3:30 p.m. a witness watched a shark grab one of the swimmers and throw her into the air in what appeared to be an ambush attack, indicative of a white shark.

Two Good Samaritans in kayaks came to the woman’s aid and carried her into shore.

Harpswell emergency responders to the White Sails Lane location pronounced the woman dead. Officials have confirmed the second woman did not sustain injuries.

This would be the first record of a fatal shark attack in Maine and the second with injury. Based on the possible angle of attack, it is possible the shark believed the swimmer to be a seal or other prey item.

The Maine Department of Marine Resources has urged boaters and swimmers to use caution near Bailey Island and to avoid swimming near schooling fish or seals.
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alb
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07/27/2020 - Julie Dimperio Holowach 63yr - Maine USA *** Fatal ***

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Great White Shark Kills Woman In Maine Bailey Island A woman was killed in an apparent shark attack near Harpswell Monday afternoon



Julie Dimperio Holowach was laughing as she and her daughter paddled into the water Monday off the coast of Maine's Bailey Island.

Suddenly Holowach, who was wearing a black wetsuit, started flailing, witness Tom Whyte told The Boston Globe. Her daughter swam back to shore, dropped to her knees and screamed for help, he said.

Nearby kayakers brought Holowach's badly injured body to shore. By the time paramedics arrived, the 63-year-old seasonal resident from New York City was already dead, killed in the first fatal shark attack in the state's history.

Some researchers say the waters around Maine have more white sharks than they used to, as the predators go in search of seal meat.

"I think it's generally accepted that the increase in number of seals is leading to more white sharks coming closer to shore during some months," Nick Whitney, a senior scientist at the New England Aquarium, told Maine Public Radio.

After the attack, officials recovered a fragment of tooth. They sent the tooth to Gregory Skomal, a shark biologist at the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, who positively identified the shark as a great white.

"This is the only confirmed fatality in Maine waters from a shark attack," said Maine Department of Marine Resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher at a press conference Tuesday.

He urged swimmers and boaters to use caution near Bailey Island and to avoid swimming near schooling fish or seals. Schools of fish will attract seals, Keliher said. "The seals, in return, will attract sharks."

According to MPR, Keliher said Holowach's wetsuit might have made her look like a seal.

The only other confirmed shark attack in Maine waters happened 10 years ago in Eastport, he said. A scuba diver caught that attack on film.

Shark attacks have been on a steady decrease over the past decade, with only five fatal attacks in 2019, according to data from the International Shark Attack File, maintained by the Florida Museum of Natural History and the University of Florida. The decrease is due to advances in beach safety, medical treatment and public awareness, they say.

Shark attacks on humans are "incredibly rare," Gavin Naylor, program director for the International Shark Attack File, told the New York Times. "We like to tell people there is a much higher chance of being struck by lightning than being bitten by a shark."


https://www.npr.org
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