We have decided to put some information on our WEBSITE with regard to SHARK ATTACKS as they were publicized so much in the year 2001 and again in 2005, especially in Florida. Unfortunately publicity of this fashion has an effect on holiday makers visiting our state. Please read on as you may be surprised by or statistics lower down the page.

Sadly we have to report a fatality in the year of 2010.

A nine foot shark mauled a Florida Wind surfer in February 2010. It is the first swimmer who has died in a shark attack since 2005.

Artist Stephen Howard Schafer aged 38 was kite boarding 1 mile offshore at Stuart, Florida when the wind died and his sail dropped leaving him surrounded by sharks. By the time lifeguards reached him he was bleeding profusely from a 10" gash to his right thigh. Paramedics performed CPR on shore but he died from his injuries. The Medical Examiner has determined it was an unprovoked attack by either a Bull or Tiger Shark.

So lets start here with some morbid facts. In the year 2001 the number of people fatally attacked by sharks worldwide was 5. Now I bet that surprised you? Many people were convinced the year of the shark was 2001 but the statistics show otherwise.

To put things in perspective you have a 5312 chance of being fatally killed in Florida by lightning than being killed by a shark. Also, apparently you have a much greater chance of being killed by falling coconuts! Some 86 persons were killed worldwide by this event.......and no publicity. So the shark indeed has a bad deal. No doubt such motion pictures as "JAWS" have sparked fear in the eyes of the public.

Unfortunately some people are attacked due to their own stupidity. This has been especially so in Florida. Why go swimming in an area where warnings have been posted that sharks are inshore searching for their favourite delicacy, the Sting Ray which breed in the sandy shallows at certain times of the year......the sharks are Hammerheads.

Also, why would you jump off your dock in Florida into a seething mass of small fish being chased by something. In fact the something was a 400 lb Bull Shark which fatally injured the person concerned. It just bit him and then let him go. Obviously it thought it had fish.

So lets look at the statistics

In 2004 the notable decline in United States attacks was directly related to a dramatic reduction in Florida incidents. In the summer of 2004, a series of hurricanes and tropical storms swept across Florida, resulting in numerous fatalities and heavy property damage. The storms also affected human beach utilization patterns, resulting in reduced aquatic recreational activities by residents and tourists. The opportunity for shark-human interactions therefore was diminished, resulting in fewer bites.

For 2005 we have again seen a dramatic reduction of Shark Attacks worldwide, but the fatalities have stayed fairly constant. Of this year’s four fatalities, two were in Australia, one in the Indo-Pacific island of Vanuatu and one in the United States. Surfers were the most frequent victims, accounting for 29 incidents, followed by swimmers and waders with 20, and divers with four incidents.

Attacks in Florida showed a slight increase. Five of the state’s 18 shark attacks last year occurred along Florida’s Gulf Coast, Panhandle Area, which is a greater proportion to the Atlantic coast than previous years.

Elsewhere in the United States, five attacks occurred in South Carolina, four each in Texas and Hawaii, three in California, two in North Carolina and one each in New Jersey and Oregon.

In June 2007 two large Bull Sharks were captured in the Intracoastal Waterway by anglers fishing for sharks in less than 20 feet of water. One weighed in excess of 600lb. Our advice is DO NOT SWIM IN THE INTRACOASTAL WATERWAY!

600lb Bull Shark captured at Venetian Isles - Tampa Bay in 2007

Here is another captured at Shore Acres - Tampa Bay in 2007

 

  Reducing the Risk

The relative risk of a shark attack is very small but it incites fear and risks should always be minimized whenever possible in any activity. The chances of having an interaction with a shark can be reduced if one heeds the following advice: