World Shark Attack Report

Officials found the remains of six sharks in a ditch along Minter Road near Griffin, Georgia on Sunday, July . Each of the sharks had all of their teeth removed. Wildlife officials said hunting sharks is a crime in Georgia, and the culprits could face up the $100,000 in fines.

Veterinarian David Blyde plunged his arm up to his shoulder into the throat of a 10-foot gray nurse shark to save the animal after it swallowed a grappling hook near Byron Bay, Australia on Wednesday, July 16, 2008.

Lifeguards at Zach's Bay in Jones Beach State Park ordered swimmers out of the water on Thursday, July 17 after officials spotted a large thresher shark lurking near shore.

The young 5 ft. shark was found on a Cape Cod beach near Nantucket on Monday, July14 by children playing near Sheep Pond Road. It was the first time a Great White shark has washed ashore along a Cape Cod beach in 21 years.

The Massive Great White Shark was reported to be about 32 feet long and 19 feet around and required a crane to winch it to the shore.

An unidentified 24-year-old man was bitten on the arm by a shark while surfing at Isle of Palms, South Carolina on Sunday afternoon, July 11, 2008. The man was taken to the Charleston Memorial hospital where he was reported in stable condition. Witnesses reported seeing a shark fin in the water at the time of the attack. This was the second reported shark attack at the resort in two weeks. A 37-year-old man told authorities he was swimming in breaking waves when when a 5 foot long shark the shark nipped his hand on June 26 while he was swimming near 7th Avenue.

Michael Lopenzo 60 was charged with disorderly conduct on Friday, June 11 for allegedly lying about seeing two 22 feet long great white sharks weighing about 3,000 pounds each while he was working on a fishing boat. Lopenzo allegedly warned people to get out of the water at the Joseph Silva State Beach on Thursday because of the sharks. The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation closed South Beach on Thursday, July 10, 2008 after the Coast Guard received reports of Lopenzo's shark sighting. Swimmers were also ordered out of the water at nearby State Beach in Edgartown while a plane was sent up look for the sharks.

According to local officials, the unidentified girl was bitten on Wednesday, July 9 while she was in the water between Sea Dunes and Ocean Oaks Drives. The young girl suffered a bite on her foot resulting in cuts and damage to ligaments and tendons. She was taken to Carteret General Hospital in Morehead City where doctors identified the bite wounds.

The shark was caught by a commercial fisherman casting nets on Tuggerah Lake. The fisherman reported he was forced to release the giant fish in-order to save his small fishing boat and net from destruction. The fisherman reported the shark to be several feet longer than his 18-foot boat. He reported the shark's head and tail could be clearly seen sticking out of the water. Tuggerah Lake averages about 10 feet deep and flows into the Pacific Ocean about 60 miles north of Sydney.

The unidentified man suffered injuries to his hand. The species of shark involved in the attack was unknown. In August, 2007, two separate shark attacks within hours of each other injured a man and 9-year-old boy at the popular beach resort.

An estimated 50 + sharks including deadly white tips and tiger sharks were filmed in a mass eating frenzy as they devoured a 35 foot sperm whale carcass in the surf on Oahu Island.

Jennifer Castion of Birmingham, Ala suffered severe bite wounds to both sides of her lower right calf at Fernandina Beach, Florida on Friday morning, June 20. Castion was flown to Shands Jacksonville hospital for emergency care. According to authorities, Castion felt something grab hold of her leg while she was wading in waist deep water. After a short struggle, the shark released leg. This was the only the third reported shark attack at Fernandina Beach since the 1890s.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Fisheries Service on Thursday, June 19 issued a new rule banning the commercial and recreational harvest of sandbar sharks. According to officials at NOAA, Sandbar sharks are prized for their fins, and are one of the most commercially valuable shark species caught in the Atlantic Ocean. They comprise about 60 percent of current East and Gulf Coast commercial shark landings at an annual average of 594.4 metric tons.

John Vasbinder 40, was attacked by what was he believes was a large Bull Shark while surfing at Cocoa Beach, Florida on Saturday, June 7, 2008. Vasbinder, who was bitten on the hand and fingers while paddling out to catch a wave, suspects the shark came up from behind him during the attack. His wounds required 45 stitches to close.

Officials with the North Carolina State Division of Parks and Recreation believe William Early 9, from Wilmington, NC was attacked by a shark while surfing near Bear Island in Hammocks Beach State Park on Monday afternoon, May 26. Early suffered deep lacerations to his left arm and nerve damage that required surgery at a Wilmington hospital.

Wellington dos Santos 14, was attacked on Sunday, June 1 while swimming at Piedade Beach near the city of Recife in northeastern Brazil. The shark bit off Santos Santos right hand and a large section of his buttocks. Lifeguards recovered the bleeding boy and rushed him to a nearby hospital where he was reported to be in critical condition.
Santos was swimming in an area posted with shark warning signs. Officials reported it was 51st shark attack in the area since 1992. Nineteen people have been killed by sharks in Pernambuco state over the past 15 years.

The shark was spotted by a fisherman swimming just south of the city near Dana Point. The sighting has spooked local swimmers and surfers. A little over a month ago, Dave Martin, 66, was viciously attacked and killed by a great White Shark while swimming south of Dana Point at Solana Beach near San Diego.

Bruce Greems 49 was surfing near the resort Zihuatanejo, northwest of Acapulco on Saturday, May 24 when a shark attack him. Greems lost his thumb to the attacking shatk but managed to swim back to shore and reach a hospital on his own. Greems was reported to be in stable condition. This was the third reported shark attack in a month in the popular tourist area.

Osvaldo Mata 21 was surfing with friends at Pantla beach near the town of Zihuatanejo on Friday, May 23 when a shark pulled him under water, bit off one of his hands and took two large bites out of his thigh. Friends grabbed Mata after the attack and pulled the bleeding man back to shore, however he lost consciousness on the beach and bled to death before medics arrived.
The attack occurred less than a month after American tourist Adrian Ruiz, 24, died from a shark attack while surfing at Troncones beach, only a few miles away.

According to photographer Paul van Bruggen, the encounter took place in the Daly River. The large saltwater crocodile above swam into the river, stalked and grabbed the shark in its jaws and then dragged it up on shore for dinner.

Aisake Sadole, 28 was diving with friends in Fiji at Cakauyanitu reef near Turtle Island around 9pm Monday, May 19 when he was grabbed by a shark and pulled away from his friends. According to officials, Sadole’s diving partners didn’t discover their friend was missing until they surfaced. They immediately began a search for their missing friend and found his body at the bottom of the sea. The group discovered the shark had bit into their friend’s his arm, causing him to die as a result of massive blood loss

Jason Cull, 37 successfully fought off an attacking Great White Shark by poking it in the eye as it dragged him through the waves. The attack occurred on Sunday, May 12, 2008 as Cull was swimming just off Middleton Beach, in Albany, Australia. The shark tore two chunks of flesh from Cull's left leg and riped off half his calf. Cull needed five hours surgery to repair the damage.

Zane Atcha, 6, became the 11th shark bite victim of 2008 in Volusia County, Florida on Wednesday, May 7 2008 when a shark bit into his leg while he was playing in knee deep water. It took 8 stitches on the back of his left calf to close the wound.

Swimmer Joanne Lucas, 50 pulled local school teacher Jason Cull, 37 from the water after he was bitten on the left leg by a 12 foot white pointer shark at Albany's Middleton Beach in Western Australia. Cull, who lost two large chunks of flesh to the shark was rushed to Albany Regional Hospital for surgery. Middleton Beach was closed after the attack

Mexican officials have reported that Adrian Ruiz, 24, a bartender from San Francisco, California was attacked by a large shark while surfing off Troncones beach in Mexico on Monday, April 28. Ruiz was reported to have still been alive after he was dragged back to the beach by his friends; however he died from blood loss at a nearby military hospital. The victim was bitten on his right thigh, resulting in a gash along his leg stretching from his hip to knee. The open wound exposed the young man’s thigh bone and arteries. Witnesses reported the grey shark that bit Ruiz weighed over 600 pounds.

Dave Martin, 66, was attacked and killed by a great White Shark while swimming at Solana Beach, California on Friday morning, April 25, 2008. The victim was pulled to shore by several friends who were swimming with him at the time of the attack. One witness said a big shark grabbed both of Martin’s legs, causing severe damage. Martin died on the beach waiting for an ambulance. Officials indicated that Martin had suffered deep jagged lacerations extending from the upper thighs to the lower shins. The shark’s bite radius measured 22 inches. Experts believe the shark may have been up to 17 feet long after examing the wound. Shark attacks are on the rise worldwide with 71 reported shark attacks in 2007, up from 63 in 2006.

An unidentified 14-year-old girl was reported bitten below the knee by a shark while surfing on Sunday, April 20 at New Smyrna Beach, Florida. The young woman was taken to Fish Memorial hospital where she received stitches. This was the seventh shark attack reported in Volusia County, which is also known as the "Shark Attack Capitol of the world, " in 2008.

Peter Edmonds 16, from Wollongbar, Australia was attacked and killed by a shark while body boarding with a friend at Ballina's Lighthouse Beach early on Tuesday, April 8. Brock Curtis 16, a friend who witnessed the attack reported hearing a cry of distress from the water. When he looked toward the sound, he saw a large dark shape in the water near the terrorized Edmonds and bravely paddled out to help his friend. Curtis later told lifeguards the water turned red near Edmonds and he saw two large bites on Edmond’s left leg. Curtis pulled the stricken man back to shore but was unable to revive him. Emergency Officials soon after the attack and reported the victim had died at the scene as a result of the deep cuts he suffered from the shark.

Joey Giangrasso, 18 was attacked by an unidentified species of shark on Thursday, April 3 while standing in waist-deep water near the south jetty in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. This was the fourth reported shark attack in Volusia County for 2008. Doctors reported the shark just missed a main artery in Giangrasso’s foot. The victim lost a large chunk of flesh and was expected to need surgery. All four shark attacks this year have occurred near the jetty.

County officials recently closed Hanalei Beach after a lifeguard working the area reported a 10 foot shark lurking near Hanalei Pier, and several more swimming just off shore.

The unidentified teen was attacked while wading in the water at New Smyrna Beach on Friday, March 21. The boy suffered two deep cuts on his ankle and was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. This was Volusia County’s second recorded shark bite of 2008

Terry Hessey caught the 10 foot long Bull shark in the mouth of the Brisbane River in December. The deadly species lurks in waters flowing through the city of Brisbane and has been implicated in several attacks on swimmers in the city’s numerous canals and waterways. The species was believed to have killed a woman swimming at Amity on North Stradbroke island in 2006.

Spring break is usually thought of as a time for fun; however one of the vacation's most popular activities, swimming has become very dangerous at many beaches because of increasing numbers of large sharks looking for an easy meal.

The number of verified shark attacks in the world increased from 63 in 2006 to 71 in 2007, making 2007 the fourth straight year that sharks have increased their attacks on humans.

The president of the Marine Safety Group in Florida says that feeding sharks puts other ocean enthusiasts at risk of being eaten by hungry sharks because sharks learn to associate boat arrivals and people in the water with food.
Markus Groh, 49, recently suffered a fatal bite by a shark during a commercial dive to view sharks about 50 miles off the coast of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Just before the dive, the company promoting the adventure baited the waters in the diving area with bloody fish parts or chum to attract the sharks. Groh, a tourist from Vienna, Austria was bitten on the leg by a shark during the dive. The victim was airlifted to a hospital but died from loss of blood on Thursday, Feb. 21, 2008. The web site of Scuba Adventures, the company advertising the dive says it offers customers the opportunity to get “face to face” with sharks. Police are investigating the incident.

Fritz Van Der Grifd caught what may turn out may be the biggest shark catch in Florida waters in recent years. Grifd reeled in a 13-foot, 1,000-pound hammerhead shark on Wednesday, March 5 off Singer Island, near West Palm Beach, Florida in Florida.

Spanish scientists have reported a ten-fold increase in the number of hungry sharks spotted off popular tourist beaches in north eastern Spain this year. Experts were at a loss to explain why so many sharks and rays had found their way into northern Mediterranean waters when their usual habitat was to the east and south of this particular area. Some scientists believe warmer waters and altering marine currents caused by climate change are to blame for a shift in species behaviour in this part of the world.

Given the name "The White Shark Café" by researchers, the area is a few hundred miles south of the halfway mark between US mainland and Hawaii. The previously secret location was discovered when researchers followed white sharks that had been tagged with electronic transmitters. Scientists are still trying to unravel the mystery of why the large sharks are attracted to that particular spot in the middle of the ocean.

An unidentified 25-year-old surfer from Edgewater, Florida became the first shark bite victim of 2008 in this community that has gained a reputation as the shark bite capitol of the world. The shark grabbed the surfer’ left foot while he was sitting on his board waiting for a wave. The attack occurred around 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 22, about 200 yards south of Ponce de Leon Inlet's south jetty. The victim went to the local hospital suffering from severe lacerations. There were 17 reported shark attacks in Volusia County in 2007, earning it the title of “Shark Bite Capital of the world” for six straight years in a row.

Apia Hauata, 26, was attacked and bitten in the face and neck by a shark while spear fishing in a Tahitian coral lagoon. Relatives took the wounded man to a local hospital for medical care. According to witnesses, Hauata had several bloody fish that he had speared tied to his body when he was attacked.

The shark will be added to the World Conservation Union's Red List of "globally endangered" species in 2008. Officials say the shark has suffered a 98 per cent decline along the east coast of the USA since the 1970s.

Fatal shark attacks worldwide dropped to their lowest levels in two decades in 2007. The year had only one verified casualty that involved a swimmer vacationing in the South Pacific.

Fiona Casey, 14, was attacked by a 3 foot shark in Horseshoe Bay, Australia while paddling to catch a wave. The shark grabbed the young girl’s elbow, hitting her funny bone which paralyzed her arm for several minutes. Casey experienced no lasting injuries and attributes the wetsuit she was wearing for her protection.

Wayne Symington, 42, was attacked by a 6 ft. blacktip shark while paddling near Suncoast Pirates beach on Tuesday, Feb 5. The aggressive shark grabbed the frightened man's ski, tearing out a large chunk and at the same time tossing him up into the air. Symington, who was training out beyond the shark nets that protect the beach said he felt lucky to make it back to shore alive.

An unidentified 20-year fisherman on a commercial tuna boat about 100 nautical miles off Australia's eastern coastline was bitten by an 8 foot mako shark after it was pulled aboard the ship. Witnesses reported the man was bitten on the calf by the shark after he accidentally stepped on its tail. Queensland officials reported the shark refused to release the fisherman and emergency personnel had to sever the sharks head from its body in-order to free the man. Paramedics reported that the ferocious bite was near major arteries and the man was lucky he didn’t bleed out. The victim was taken to a hospital by helicopter.

Jordan Marsden, 20, was attacked by a shark while surfing at Playalinda Beach in Brevard County, Florida on January 10, 2008. Marsden, from nearby Titusville was taken to a hospital where x-rays showed the shark left two teeth in the wounded surfer’s foot. Experts were unable to precisely define the type of shark that attacked Marsden; however they believe is was likely to have been a Black Tip. Officials indicated it was normally a rare event to see someone bitten by sharks in January because of the weather. However warm spells bring surfers into the water and potential contact with hungry sharks that normally frequent area waters. This was the first reported shark attack for 2008 along Canaveral National Seashore.

Aidan Murray Medley caught a record breaking 551-pound bull shark while fishing from a boat just north of Palm Beach Inlet on Wednesday, January 2, 2008. Medley, who is only 12 years old lives in Connecticut and was on a family vacation when he hooked the shark. The previous record bull shark in Florida was caught at Panama City Beach in 1981 and weighed 517lb.

According to local officials, the unidentified girl was bitten while in the water between Sea Dunes and Ocean Oaks Drives. She suffered a bite on her foot resulting in cuts and damage to ligaments and tendons. She was taken to Carteret General Hospital where doctors identified the bite.

Sean Callahan discovered this 10 foot Thresher Shark near his Roanoke Island home on Friday, November 24, 2006. The remote beach where it washed ashore is located on the west side of the Island between the Burnside Forest Subdivision and Roanoke Island Airport.
Thresher sharks usually feed on schooling fish such as herring and mackerel. They use their long rear fin to herd the fish together and stun or kill them with a slap. They are not usually a threat to humans; however there is an unconfirmed report of one fisherman being decapitated by a Thresher's tail.

Rory Corr, 15, from Mount Pleasant, SC was grabbed by a shark as he was surfing near Sullivan’s Island just off the South Carolina coast on Tuesday, September 4, 2007. According to witnesses the shark bit into Corr’s legs causing severe damage that required an unknown number of stitches.

An unidentified 14 year old boy was bitten by a shark at North Topsail Beach on Wednesday, July 18. According to authorities in Onslow County, the attack occurred around 12:30 pm in front of the Topsail Reef Condominiums on New River Inlet Drive. The boy was wading in knee deep water when he was bitten on the right leg by a 3 feet long shark. The boy was taken to Onslow Memorial Hospital for treatment.

A 30 year old unidentified woman was attacked by a shark on Tuesday, July 17 while wading in Waist deep water near the Tar Landing Villas on Atlantic Beach. According to witnesses, the victim, a vacationer from Ohio felt something grab her right thigh and then began kicking. The shark then bit her left foot, leaving teeth marks as she was trying to get out of the water. The woman was taken to Carteret General Hospital in Morehead City for treatment. Her condition was unknown. Officials indicated that that based on the size of the bite the shark was probably about 5 feet long.
The attack was the first in North Carolina since September 2006, when a 16-year-old surfer suffered a shark bite to his left thigh at Onslow Beach that required 10 stitches .

Great White Shark
Visits Outer Banks

One of the largest Great White Sharks ever seen was filmed just off the coast of the Outer Banks by a Fishing Charter boat crew from Wanchese North Carolina. On May 13, 2004, the Outer Banks was visited by a massive great white shark that was filmed just off the coast of North Carolina by fishermen from the Charter boat Poacher, based in Wanchese North Carolina. The Video showed the huge shark swimming about 13 miles offshore of the Outer Banks.
The shark was filmed by Charles Perry, who does blue fin tuna research for Stanford University. Perry indicated that in his 50 years of fishing and doing offshore research, he’s seen a lot of interesting things such as when a blue marlin pulled a friend off the boat. However, Perry indicates that was nothing compared to witnessing this 3000 pound great white shark circling around his boat on May 13.
Perry indicated the beast was so large that he thought at first there were several fish swimming in the water instead of just one. Then the boat came up behind the shark where the natural lighting allowed its outline to be seen clearly. That’s when Perry thought, Man, this is a great white! Perry indicates that great whites are uncommon in the area, and like most flesh-eating predators, are quite dangerous.

Devin Cage owns and operates the charter boat Poacher. On this particular day, he had taken a party offshore for fishing when they spotted the adult female great white. At the time, it was swimming west in about 120 feet of water. At first the Great White Shark was mistaken for another shark because of the way the fin broke water. However, as the group got closer, they knew it was something special. Cage indicated that after seeing the fish, he felt good that we haven't killed everything yet. He believes the ocean still has some mysteries left to it and you just never know what you may encounter. The crew didn't provoke the shark or harass it. The last time they saw it, it was swimming north as if it didn't have a care in the world. The crew indicated that just the view was a catch of a lifetime.

According to marine scientists, great white sharks have a range in the Atlantic Ocean between Cape Cod in Massachusetts to North Carolina. There have been many shark attacks, some deadly, off the Virginia and North Carolina, but none that were verified by a great white. Watch the video

STRANGE & AMAZING
SHARK STORIES & PICTURES

A very rare pre historic like “Frilled Shark" was recently caught and filmed off the coast of Japan. The rare shark lives more than 2000 feet below the surface of the ocean and is rarely seen. Experts indicated the shark was in bad health and it died a few hours after its capture. See video