Incident Mar. 24, 2012 - Florida - Joey Coppola

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March 24, 2012
Joey Coppola
New Smyrna Beach, Florida

At approximately 2pm, Joey Coppola, 21, was surfing in about 4-feet of water near the south jetty at New Smyrna Beach when he was bitten on the foot by an unidentified shark. He had minor lacerations and declined medical treatment after the bite but planned on having a friend drive him to the hospital.

Source:
www.news-journalonline.com

Incident Mar. 20, 2012 - Australia - Billy O'Leary

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March 20, 2012
Billy O'Leary
Nobbys Beach, Gold Coast, Australia

Billy O'Leary, 20, was surfing at Nobbys beach on the Gold Coast with his best friend Tyson Kolkka. O'Leary attempted a trick known as a "floater" but when he fell he landed on a large shark. The shark turned and bit O'Leary on the back of his left leg. Noel Kolkka, Tyson's father saw a comotion down on the beach and came to see what had happened:

"I just ran down the beach and I saw Billy lying on the sand. The lifeguards had got to him fairly quickly and were binding up all of his wounds and stopping the blood flow."

O'Leary sustained two significant lacerations to his leg. See a picture of his injury here.

Warren Young, chief lifeguard, said the suspect shark was probably a bull shark, lured in by baitfish and murky water.

Nobbys Beach
Source

Source:
www.news.com.au

Bull shark steals fish - video

This is such a great bull shark video.

Bull Shark (Carcharhinus leucas)

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Bull Shark Carcharhinus leucas

The bull shark, also known as the Zambezi shark in Africa, gets it's name from it's stocky build, it's broad snout, it's aggressive nature, and a tendency to head-butt it's prey before attacking. Bull sharks are arguably the most dangerous shark of all. They are among the top 3 most dangerous sharks in the world, alongside the tiger shark and the great white. Because the bull shark is very common, and lives in coastal shallow waters, often murky waters, they are considered responsible for most of the shark attacks that take place near the shore, even when the actual type of shark is not clearly identified. Due to it's agressive nature this shark has been nicknamed "The Pit Bull of the Sea."

Description

The bull shark's body is compact with a snout that is short and broad which gives it a somewhat blunt appearance. Bull sharks are short, wide and heavy fish, with a very powerful bite. The bull shark is grey with a white belly. They are a chunky species and the dorsal fin is relatively far forward on the shark's back. They have small beady eyes, making scientists believe that their eyesight is poor, hence their ability to thrive in the murky water that is commonly found in rivermouths and rivers. An adult bull shark's teeth are triangular, serrated, very sharp, and approximately 1.5" long.

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Bull sharks grow at about 11 inches a year for their first four years, and then at about six inches a year until fully mature. Females tend to be larger than males, mostly due to their longer lives; females live to be about 16 years old and reach maturity at about 10 years old and seven feet long, males live to about 12 years old, and reach maturity at 9 years and six feet long. The largest bull shark on record was 13 feet long and weighed close to 1000 pounds.

Range and Habitat

Bull sharks are commonly found worldwide in warm, shallow waters along coasts and in rivers, they prefer warmer equatorial, tropical and subtropical waters. Bull sharks are one of the very few sharks that have the ability to live in both salt and freshwater. They can be found in fresh water that connects with salt water (rivers and lakes) and have been caught in the Mississippi River as far upstream as Illinois.

Off the Atlantic coast of the United States, bull sharks are found from Massachusetts to the Gulf of Mexico and are common off southeastern Florida and in the Gulf of Mexico. Off the Pacific coast, bull sharks are found from southern California (rare) to the Gulf of California.

Here is an interactive map depicting the worldwide range of the bull shark.

Diet

Bull sharks are typically solitary hunters, they are very territorial and can be highly aggressive. They are known to make sharp turns, unpredictable bursts of speed (up to 11 mph) and often utilizes the "bump and bite" technique to capture prey, during which it first head-butts prey before attacking. Bull sharks are not picky eaters, they are opportunists and will eat almost anything they see: bony fish, turtles, birds, mollusks, crustaceans, dolphins, other sharks, and rays. They have also been known to eat birds, sloths, dogs, rats, cows and antelope! Like other sharks, they're able to find their prey with their keen sense of smell.

A bull shark cruising the shallow waters of the Carribean.
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Human-Shark Encounters

"Bull sharks inhabit quite shallow waters, which means that they do have a great opportunity to interact with humans, because the two species tend to share the same areas," said George Burgess, curator of the International Shark Attack File at the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville.

According to the International Shark Attack Files, there have been 104 recorded bull shark attacks in the last 150 years, and out of those, 33 fatalities. While this number is probably under-reported due to the wide habitat of the bull shark which includes many third-world countries which do not report attacks, it is still an incredibly low number when you consider the number of people that enter the ocean every year.

Humans are a far greater threat to the shark population than they are to us. We fish them for sport as well as commercially, and their fins are also prized in Asian markets to turn into shark's fin soup.

Incident Mar. 15, 2012 - Florida - Frank A. Wacha Jr.

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March 15, 2012
Frank A. Wacha Jr.
Jensen Public Beach, Florida

61 year-old Frank A. Wacha Jr. has been surfing for the past 50 years. Thursday was the first time he had ever been bitten by a shark. Wacha was surfing in choppy, murky water 120-150 yards off of Jensen Public beach when he felt something attach itself to his left arm.

"It felt just like I had been hit," said Wacha "My arm was out of the water," he said. "I looked over and saw this shark. We were eye to eye."

Immediately after biting him, the 5-foot bull shark let go and disappeared beneath the murky water.

"The first thing I thought was, 'I need to get a wave and get to shore,'" Wacha said. "Then I thought, 'I hope I don't lose function in this arm.' I knew I wasn't going to lose the arm because it was still attached."

Wacha was able to stay on his surfboard and paddle into shore. Lifeguards were able to stop the bleeding and his wife drove him to the hospital. The bite mark reaches from his forearm to his upper arm, thankfully there was no permanent damage.

Incident Mar. 14, 2012 - Florida - Sydney Levy

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March 14, 2012
Sydney Levy
New Smyrna beach, Florida

Valeh Levy and her 15-year-old daughter Sydney had just paddled out on their surfboards when Sydney was suddenly pulled off her board and disappeared beneath the water.

She surfaced again, a moment later and got back on her board as her mother watched in horror.

"She got back on her board, and there was her ankle … She put her ankle up, and she looked at it, and there was blood coming off of it"

The shark then grabbed her a second time.
Valeh Levy then sprang into action:

"I said, 'There's no way this thing is going to kill my daughter,' and I grabbed her shoulders, and I pulled her up on my board."

Mother and daughter were assisted back to the beach by two other surfers who saw the attack and came to their aid.

An ambulance was already at the beach because another surfer, 17-year-old Nick Romano, had been attacked be a shark moments before. Sydney was rushed into surgery but relased later that night.

Sources:
www.huffingtonpost.com
www.news.com.au

Incident Mar. 14, 2012 - Florida - Nick Romano

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Nick Romano, 17, was surfing in chest-deep water near the jetty at popular New Smyrna Beach in Florida, when a shark bit him on the back of his leg.

"I sat on my board and felt this tug, and I kind of jerked over and the shark bit on my leg. He said his first reaction was to try to bat the shark away. "I caught his tail, and I kind of pushed him off."

Romano recieved nasty lacerations to his calf. He was able to drive himself to the hospital and was released later that same night. Romano needed 17 stitches to close the eight inch gash on his calf. Here is video interview done by WFTV Channel 9 with Nick Romano.

Minutes after Romano was bitten, 15-year-old Sydney Levy was also attacked by a shark. The most likely suspects are Bull sharks.

There are more incidents of shark attacks in the concentrated area of New Smyrna Beach than any similar length of coastline in the world.

Source:
www.wftv.com

Incident Mar. 7, 2012 - New Zealand - Peter Garrett

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March 7, 2012
Peter Garrett
Arawhata Rd. surf break, Opunake, New Zealand

At approximately 7pm, 42-year-old Peter Garrett was surfing 100 meters off shore at the Arawhata Rd surf break a few kilometres north of Opunake when he was bitten by an unidentified species of shark. Garrett felt a bump on his board and when he looked down he saw a 3-foot shark on his leg. After kicking the shark off, Garrett made his way back to the beach. Two local vets, Matt Thomas and James Bruce, who were surfing at the time came to his aid. As they followed Garrett into the beach, the shark turned its attention toward them.

"We came in when it started circling us," Mr Thomas said. "It nudged my mate Brucey and tried to get his fins. Then I was like, bugger this, I'm going in."

After safely reaching shore, Thomas and Bruce were able to bandage up Garrett's injuries. Garrett sustained 10 lacerations, each about 2cm deep, to the back of his left calf.

Source:
www.sligochampion.ie
www.stuff.co.nz

Incident Mar. 4, 2012 - Red Sea - Jan Lisewski

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March 4, 2012
Jan Lisewski
Red Sea

42-year-old Jan Lisewski, a Polish kite surfer, was attempting to sail across the Red Sea from the Egyptian town of El Gouna to Duba in Saudi Arabia when the wind suddenly died. Lisewski was only two-thirds into his 124-mile trip when his kite deflated and he had to wait until help could come, it came after 40 hours and 2 nights at sea. During the second night the wind picked up and pushed him into a reef inhabited by sharks.

"They were about 2,5 to 6 meters. They attacked me through my kite, which must’ve also attracted them because of its colour," Lisewski said. "I stabbed them in the eyes, nose and gills. The fight, which I’ve miraculously survived, took whole night. By the morning, they were gone. There were eleven of them."

He was eventually rescued by a military boat. He was uninjured but was suffering from exhaustion and dehydration.

There are 44 registered species of sharks in the Red Sea, but only some pose a danger to people. Some of the most dangerous sharks include Tiger sharks, Bull sharks, Shortfin mako sharks, and Oceanic whitetip sharks.

Oceanic whitetip shark
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Source:
digitaljournal.com

Incident Mar. 4, 2012 - Florida - Justin Worrall

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March 4, 2012
Justin Worrall
Playa Linda beach, Florida

Justin Worrall was kitesurfing off Playa Linda beach when he was bitten by a shark two times on his leg and foot. Worrall said that he didn't know what had happened until he turned around and saw the shark's fin pop out of the water.

"I felt something kind of tugging on my leg, so I dove the kite and pulled my foot out and I looked at my foot and it was all bloody. So I hopped on my board and rode back in," Worrall said.

His brother Chad posted a photo of the bite on Facebook.



Sources: miami.cbslocal.com www.wftv.com

Incident Feb. 25, 2012 - Australia - Unknown Male

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February 25, 2012
Unknown Male
Broughton Island, NSW, Australia

An unidentified male was fishing in the water near Broughton Island when he was bitten on the foot by a Grey Nurse shark. As the man was not too seriously injured he was able to sail back to Nelson Bay where he recieved treatment for his inuries at Tomaree Hospital.

Source:
www.theherald.com.au

Grey Nurse shark
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Incident Feb. 26, 2012 - Florida - Jason Lasser

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February 26, 2012
Jason Lasser
Singer Island, Florida

On a downwinder from Singer Island, crossing the Palm Beach inlet, kiteboarder Jason Lasser collided with what he believes was a Spinner shark.

We were both cruising along, minding our own business and simply didn’t see each other. Absolutely no hard feelings, I hope he/she is OK (that’s one hard head they’ve got). Very impressed with how solid and stable it was in the water – I thought I hit concrete even though I was on an 8-10ft swell that was about to break, 100 yards from the shore.

Mr. Lasser's right foot required surgery to repair nerves, tendons and a nasty laceration.

Sources:
www.aspendailynews.com
www.blogthebeach.com

Spinner Shark
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Incident Jan. 19, 2012 - Australia - David Pickering

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January 19, 2012
David Pickering
The Lagoon, Coral Bay, Western Australia

David Pickering, 26, was leading a group of snorkelers at Coral Bay in Western Australia when he was bitten on the right forarm by what is believed to be a 10-foot Tiger shark. Mr. Pickering punched the shark with his free arm causing the shark to release him. He was able to warn his fellow snorkelers and swim 300 feet to shore. Mr. Pickering suffered some tendon damage but his injuries were not life-threatening. There have been sightings of Tiger sharks in the area.

Sources:
www.perthnow.com.au
www.huffingtonpost.com

Incident Jan. 18, 2012 - Australia - Glen Folkard

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January 18, 2012
Glen Folkard
Readhead Beach, Readhead, Australia

Glen Folkard, a 44-year-old tattoo artist was surfing beyond the breakers at Redhead Beach, something he has been doing daily for the past 30 years, when he was suddenly slammed into by a 10-foot long bull shark. The force of the blow threw him off his surfboard and as the shark bit into his thigh he was pulled under the water.

"He's hit me from underneath, he's grabbed me, he's turned me, took me under and then let go cause I think he had fiberglass in his mouth..."

As soon as the shark let go, Mr. Folkard climbed back onto his surfboard and started to paddle for the shore. With assistance from local surfer Nathan Visscher, Mr. Folkard managed to make it safely back to shore. Once on the beach, Mr. Visscher used his leg rope as a turniquet to help stop the bleeding.

Mr. Folkard spent several days in intensive care suffering from massive blood loss and needed 6 surgeries to rebuild his leg. Here is a picture of his leg 3 months after the attack.

Sources:
www.heraldsun.com.au
www.huffingtonpost.com

Fatal Incident Jan. 15, 2012 - South Africa - Lungisani Msungubana

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January 15, 2012
Lungisani Msungubana
Second Beach, Port St. Johns, South Africa
Fatal Attack

25 year old Lungisani Msungubana was swimming with friends in chest deep water when he was suddenly and violently attacked by a Bull shark (also known as a Zambezi in South Africa). One arm was almost completely severed and he sustained deep wounds to his chest and stomach. Lifeguards were able to pull him into shore but sadly he died from his injuries on the scene.

Second Beach is being called the 'deadliest beach in the world' by some people. The South African average fatality rate from shark attacks is 1 in 5 but at Second Beach in Port St. Johns every attack has ended in death. Since 2007 there have been 6 fatalities from shark attacks, one every year.

Source:
www.telegraph.co.uk

Source

I found a video clip with pictures here. The pictures are blurred out, but it is still pretty graphic and very, very sad.

Incident Jan. 13, 2012 - Oregon - Steve Harnack

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January 13, 2012
Steve Harnack
Nelscott Reef, Lincoln City, Oregon

58 year old Steve Harnack is considering himself lucky after his surfboard was bitten by a shark. He was teathered to his surfboard by a 20-ft. long cord, after being hit by waves and seperated from his board for a time he made his way back to shore. Only once back on shore did Steve notice the damage to his board.

“I think during that time while my board was away from me a shark bit it,” he said, pointing to a deep puncture mark that travels through to the other side of the board. “All the surfers concurred that there’s nothing else that could have done this,” Harnack said, adding that, in 40-foot water, there is no way his board could have gone down far enough to hit the sea floor.

Here is a picture of Steve and his surfboard.

Source:
www.thenewsguard.com

Incident Jan. 3, 2012 - Australia - Michael Wells

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January 3, 2012
Michael Wells
North Avoca Beach, NSW, Australia

Michael Wells, 28, of North Avoca, was surfing shortly before 8pm on Tuesday when the animal latched on and pulled him down. He was able to swim to shore and raise the alarm after hitting it.
Mr Wells was rushed to Gosford Hospital where he was treated for a 5cm laceration on his forearm and a puncture to his wrist.

He believes that he was attacked by a bronze whaler. Witnesses reported the shark was brown and about 1.8 metres long.



Source:
www.news.com.au

www.smh.com.au

13ft. Tiger Shark at Haleiwa, Oahu 6/9/12

My favorite tiger shark video...

Tiger Shark (Galeocerdo cuvier)

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Tiger Shark Galeocerdo cuvier

Tiger sharks are one of the top three sharks implicated in unprovoked, fatal attacks throughout the world. Although shark attacks are a relatively rare phenomenon, the tiger shark is responsible for a large percentage of fatal attacks and is regarded as one of the most dangerous shark species.

Description
The tiger shark has many distinctive characteristics making it easy to distinguish from other sharks. The tiger shark is named for the dark black spots and vertical tiger-stripe markings that are very prominent in juveniles but that often fade as they mature. It has a short, blunt snout, and a big mouth with large, saw-edged, cockscomb-shaped teeth.

This is one of the larger shark species; tiger sharks usually range from between 3 to 5 metres in length. Although much larger specimens have been seen, the largest a tiger shark tends to get is around 5.5 metres long.

Range and Habitat
The tiger shark is found in warmer and tropical waters in the Southern Hemisphere. The tiger shark tends to be found in more coastal waters but tigers sharks are also known to go into the deeper ocean if they need to hunt for food. They seem to prefer turbid coastal areas where fresh water runoff occurs as different prey species may congregate to feed in these areas. They are commonly found in river estuaries and harbors.

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In North America, they are found on the East coast from Massachusetts down to the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. On the West coast, they are found in Southern California and in Hawaii. They are also known to seasonally migrate, moving from temperate to tropical waters in the winter; they also make long migrations between islands in the Pacific. Other locations where tiger sharks are seen include Africa, People's Republic of China, Hong Kong, India, Australia and New Zealand.

Diet
These solitary hunters are nocturnal and move inshore into shallow waters at night to feed and then move back to deeper waters in the daytime. Their diets include bony fishes, sharks, rays, porpoises, turtles, crabs, squid, birds, and even garbage. They are not picky eaters.

Shark-Human Encounters
While the tiger shark is considered to be one of the sharks most dangerous to humans, the attack rate is low considering the thousands of people who swim, surf and dive in the ocean every day. The tiger shark is second only to the great white shark in number of reported attacks on humans. Tiger sharks often visit shallow reefs, harbors and canals, greatly increasing the potential for encounter with humans. It’s not known why tiger sharks sometimes bite humans. The idea that they mistake a person for a natural prey item, such as a turtle, is not supported by any evidence. The shark may be trying to determine if a person is a potential prey item, it may come across a person while in a feeding “mode,” or perhaps there is some other explanation. According to the International Shark Attack File (ISAF), there were only 75 confirmed cases of unprovoked shark attacks on humans world wide in 2011.