Shark Attacks and Shark Attack Related Incidents News Articles on Shark Bites

Debordieu Shark Attack

Sunday, Jul 09, 2006 - 04:52 PM
Michelle Carolla
Reporter
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Officials say a shark attacked a teenager in the Debordieu area of Georgetown County.

Police say the 14-year old girl went swimming in the ocean Saturday afternoon, when the incident happened. Rescue officials say she was bitten on the lower half of her body. She was transported to the hospital in stable condition at the time.

This is the first reported shark attack of the season. Overall, officials say they are not that common. The International Shark Attack File investigated 105 shark incidents last year, worldwide. They reported a direct correlation between the number of shark attacks and the increase in popularity of water recreation.

People fishing on a local pier Sunday each said they saw sharks swimming nearby. Officials say sharks gravitate toward piers. The Beach Patrol says to stay at least 150 yards away from them.

"Well we were here fishing this morning and a man pulled up hi minnow bucket to drop the water out and when he dumped the water out of it a big shark came along. It was probably about 7 feet long,” said Jerry Reed of Asheville, NC.

Experts said to stay safe in the ocean don't swim at dusk or dawn, don't wear shiny jewelry and of course swim with a partner. But most importantly, use common sense and don't swim out too far.

Also, don't attempt to hit a shark if they come close to you. Experts tell us to calmly swim to shore. A family visiting from Fort Mill South Carolina said they will be cautious. The threat of sharks, however, won't keep them away.

“They [his daughter and her friend] didn't want to go much further out so I'm trying to get them to know they can still play in the surf and stuff. Sharks need to be in 3-4 feet of water. I would think. Before I would think they are a problem but, maybe not. I would like them to roll around in the surf still. We still love the beach but it's not going to keep us from getting totally in the water, said Jeff Martin.

I t's not common...but experts say sharks do occasionally, swim close to shore. Officials say to enjoy the water, just remember to observe your surroundings.

http://www.morningnewsonline.com/midatl ... -0004.html

14-year-old Florida girl bitten by shark near Pawleys Island
Associated Press
GEORGETOWN, S.C. - A 14-year-old girl swimming on a bodyboard has been bitten by a shark off Pawleys Island.

Caelin Lacy of West Palm Beach, Fla., said she was about 25 feet out in the ocean around 11 a.m. Saturday and had just "caught a great wave" when the attack happened.

"Another good wave was coming and I started kicking. All the sudden, I turned around and something had grabbed hold of my foot," Lacy said Monday from Georgetown Memorial Hospital, where she is recovering after receiving 70 stitches to her leg and ankle and treatment for three tendons severed in the attack.

It looked like a 6-foot long bull shark, Lacy said.

"It tore up my foot but it didn't thrash or anything. I kicked it with my right foot, and it let go immediately," Lacy said.

Lacy's mother and another man were able to rescue her from the water.

"When I first got bit, it didn't hurt because it hadn't really clicked yet, didn't seem real," Lacy said. "Then when I looked back at my foot, all the blood in the water, I started screaming and I freaked out. Then I blacked out and the next thing I remember was being on the sand."

Shark attacks are infrequent in South Carolina, although a 7-year-old girl from Missouri appeared to be bitten by a shark off Hilton Head Island in June. The last fatal shark attack recorded in the state's waters happened in 1883, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History.

Lacy, whose family visits the Grand Strand every summer, said she will get back in the ocean as soon as she can.

"You're more likely to be struck by lightning than you are to be attacked by sharks," she said. "I can't let this keep me out of the water."

http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/my ... 008521.htm

(Georgetown) July 10, 2006 - A shark attack in Georgetown County sent a 14-year-old girl to the hospital Saturday. It happened on Debordieu, near Pawleys Island.

A day of fun turned into a nightmare for 14-year-old Caelin Lacy of West Palm Beach, Florida. Caelin says she was attacked by bull sharks while swimming on her boogie board, "A group of bait fish had swum in around me, and I hadn't seen them, and a bunch of sharks did too, a pack. They were feeding."

Caelin says she was about 25 feet out in the ocean when she was attacked, and she says at one point there were 20 fins surrounding her. "I looked behind me and something had grab hold of my foot, it was a six-foot bull shark. And it tore up my foot but it didn't thrash or anything. I kicked it with my right foot, and it let go immediately."

"When I first got bit, it didn't hurt because it hadn't really clicked yet, didn't seem real. Then when I looked back at my foot, all the blood in the water, I started screaming and I freaked out. Then I blacked out and the next thing I remember was being on the sand."

Her mother and an unidentified man jumped in and pulled her out of the water, "After I got to the beach , the pain was like, it was so bad, unbearable, but, um, I saw huge gashes in my foot, and it wasn't what I was expecting. In the water, it felt like chicken scratches. And I didn't expect it to be this bad."

Caelin says doctors have told her she will have around 70 stitches, but she says it could have been a lot worse, "I was very lucky all the sharks and they didn't come after me after the blood was in the water. Mom got me out in time. I'm very fortunate."

Despite the attack, she says she plans to go back in the ocean as soon as she's fully recovered.

If you're out in the water, here are some tips to avoid being attacked by a shark: swim in groups, and stay close to the shore; you should also avoid swimming at dawn, dusk, or night; and don't wear shiny jewelry; also avoid areas with bait fish, fishermen, and diving sea birds.

According to the International Shark Attack File, shark attacks don't happen very often in South Carolina. To date, there have been 52 shark attacks in South Carolina, three of them fatal. The last fatal shark attack in South Carolina happened back in 1883.

Courtesy Octavia Mitchell of WCBD


http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=5131660