Posted on 06/25/2005 2:19:19 PM PDT by Tumbleweed_Connection
A 14-year-old girl died Saturday after a shark attacked her while she and a companion were swimming in the Gulf of Mexico, authorities said.
The teenagers were swimming on boogie boards about 100 yards offshore when they noticed a dark shadow in the water, authorities said.
"One of the swimmers was bitten. It was the lower portions of her body," said Walton County Sheriff's spokeswoman Donna Shank. The other swimmer was not injured.
Both girls swam to shore, and the victim was taken to a hospital where she was pronounced dead, Shank said. The girl was on vacation from Louisiana, but her name was not immediately released.
The attack happened near the Camping on the Gulf Holiday Travel Park, about 45 miles east of Pensacola on the Florida Panhandle.
Patrick O'Neill, the campground's general manager, refused to comment.
Authorities closed about 20 miles of beaches to swimming shortly after the attack. It's the height of the summer tourism season along the coast and the beaches were packed with people.
"This doesn't happen very often at all — very, very seldom," said Mike McKee, front desk supervisor at the nearby Hilton Sandestin Beach Resort and Spa.
Florida had the largest number of documented shark attacks worldwide in 2003 with 30, according to statistics compiled by the American Elasmobranch Society and the Florida Museum of Natural History. There were 12 attacks off the coast of Florida last year.
We have a river about a quarter mile from where I live (Panama). There are crocs in it. When it floods they come down the street. They have never attacked anyone. I still wouldn't get into the water.
Similar incident. When I was young...back in the 50's and 60's...(sigh)...my family used to go to the outer banks off the carolinas every year. I thought I was indestructible...the man...kewl...bad a$$...used to swim out to the breakwater cuz the beach breakers just weren't making it for a kewl dude like me...got caught in the undertow a few times and was danged lucky to get out.
Kept away for years until I took Wife and Kidz there in the late 80's. Again I thought I was the Master of the Surf. Took Daughter...then only around 4-5 years old....for a walk along the beach even though she wasn't too thrilled about the breakers.
Bottom line...the 7th Wave hit while Daughter and I were a few feet off shore. Pulled her under...I still don't know how she survived. I held onto her hand as tight as I could while the wave took her under and tossed me around. I felt that same undertow I held felt years before. Again we were lucky to get out with a few bruises and hurt pride.
When we go to the beach no we only go in the pool. The beach is just for a little splashing around and then only if there are lifeguards and lots of other people around.
prisoenr6
This was bound to happen with all of the deep sea fishermen chumming the waters within 1/4 mile of the shore down there. A couple of years back I almost got bit by an 8 or 9 foot black tip. This was in nearby Destin. The shark swam around me several times, and it was close enough for me to reach out and grab the dorsal fin sticking up out of the water. Luckily, I was close enough to shore to make my way back before it decided to taake a bite out of me.
Good lord you say that so...so...like it's no big deal!
FWIW I ouldn't go in the river..I'd keep a weapon handy and snuff the bugggers whenever they got onto MY turf.
prisomner6
Compared to crocs in the streets ..IT IS!
prisoner6
we just had a bear go on our next door neighbors deck and had a morning snack (suet and birdseed). I used to joke to the kids to watch out for "wild" animals, now we DO have to watch out for them :)
OK - I understand your confusion. :o) We are talking swamps where there is no land to speak of and trees grow in this water and are where they lay up in to watch for their dinner below.
ROFL! I'm not even in the conversation but y'all are scaring the hell out of me. I haven't touched salt water since I saw Jaws and don't plan on it any time soon.
Nah, my Daddy called me "son" or "pal",,he took it hard when I turned into a girl about age 13.
Hon, they get on low branches and the trees hang over the bayous. And about every five minutes you hear a giant plop as one falls in the water or into a boat. It is so scary.
yeah, it is always us who get eaten by wild animals. We must be tasty or something.
someone told me if you could fly along the coast of the west side of florida in a low flying plane, you would never swim off that coast again, so many sharks.
Yup...I saw film on Natnl Geographic...there are more sharks than people!
How far is too far? Most (about 85% of fatal shark attacks occur in less than 3 FEET of water. Of course there are exceptions. When I was a kid (about ten years old) I witnessed a fatal shark attack off the tip of Miami, FL. We were sailing in a rather large yacht owned by family friends and this girl was snorkeling near the edge of the continental shelf where sea life teams and a Great White just swam up and bit off her leg. She died of shock. I was about 50 yards away and heard her screams. I got the binocs on her just in time to see the water boil and turn red. Pretty awful. I saw the fin of the animal as it broke surface on the way out to sea. Triangular shaped is Jaws. A few years later the movie came out and I didn't go near the ocean for another four or five years.
Breadfruit, eh? I wonder if that would work on the cats who dump in my garden?
I'll be in South Walton in about a month.
I'm not telling my kids.
The Gulf Coast is home to the Bull Shark. Nasty Buggers. Chances are good that's what it was.
God, that was awful. For a ten year old to see.
"This doesn't happen very often at all — very, very seldom," said Mike McKee.
What, every year doesn't classify as regularly or often with him? I wonder if he has some financial reason to keep people coming to the area.
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