America's Most Shark-Infested Beaches
America's Most Shark-Infested Beaches
Deadly attacks are rare, but watch out for fins on these shorelines.
By John GiuffoCourtesy of Forbes Images
More from Yahoo! Travel
Find Special Offers & More Savings
Check flight deals now!
Tips for Wellness on the Road
By the time a lifeguard got to him, it was too late. Stephen Schafer
was kitesurfing 500 yards off an unguarded part of Stuart Beach, in
Martin County, Fla., last February when he was attacked by a swarm
of sharks. “He got bit after he presumably wiped out, a very serious bite,”
says George Burgess, director of theInternational Shark Attack File at the
Florida Museum of Natural History. Schafer was rushed to a local hospital,
where he died of his wounds.
While shark attacks are rare, they’ve been on the rise, with 79 attacks in
2010—the most dangerous year for shark attacks in a decade. Here is
our list of some notable locations for shark attacks in 2010 and 2011.
Although no one beach is more likely to be prone to shark attacks than
another, these are mostly part of larger areas known to be where
sharks and humans come into contact with each other.
Surf Beach, north of Santa Barbara, California
Shark attacks are relatively common in the waters off northern California,
but one attack in central California in 2010 drew a lot of attention.
Nineteen-year-old surfer Luke Ransom was catching large waves
in the waters off Vandenberg Air Force base near Santa Barbara,
when he was attacked by an 18-foot great white. The surfer did
not get back to shore in time and bled to death.
Courtesy of Forbes ImagesNew Smyrna Beach, Florida
There were 13 unprovoked shark attacks – one fatal – in
Florida in 2010, statistically the most likely place in the
world to get bitten by a shark. That likelihood shows no
sign of abating this year. In addition to an attack on dive
instructor Daniel Webb on June 12, the most recent attack was
on a 19-year-old swimmer in New Smyrna Beach on June 6, the
third person this year to get bitten by a shark in part of the so-called
“red triangle.”
Courtesy of Forbes ImagesTopsail Island, North Carolina
North Carolina has had a moderate amount of shark attacks
in the past decade, including five last year, up from one the
year before. One of those victims was Carley Schlentz, a
13-year-old girl from Greensboro, N.C., who was attacked
near Topsail Island. She was bitten twice before she made
it out of the water, and required 60 stitches to close the wounds.
Courtesy of Forbes ImagesFripp Island, South Carolina
Shark attacks are relatively rare in East Coast waters north of
Florida, and in South Carolina particularly, but last year the state
was the site of four attacks, all of which were non-fatal. One of
those sharks attacked six-year-old Ella Morris, who was playing
on a boogie board with her father when a shark bit into Ella’s leg
and dragged her underwater. Ella’s father chased the shark away
with the board and ran ashore to a nearby firehouse for help. Ella’s
wound required 22 stitches but she survived the attack.
Courtesy of Forbes ImagesLyman Beach, Kona, Hawaii
Hawaii is also one of the world’s hotspots for shark encounters.
The islands were the location of four unprovoked attacks last year
and a few this year as well. Two of those attacks occurred within
three days of each other in the waters near Lyman Beach in Kona,
the first recorded attacks in that part of the big island. Theresa
Fernandez was surfing in the waters off Kona when she felt
something hard hit the bottom of her board. When the rear of her
surfboard was pulled under the water, she paddled furiously to get
away from what she knew was a shark. Luckily, Fernandez and
another surfer, Alayna DeBina, both escaped their encounters without injury.
America's Most Shark-Infested Beaches
Deadly attacks are rare, but watch out for fins on these shorelines.
By John GiuffoCourtesy of Forbes Images
More from Yahoo! Travel
Find Special Offers & More Savings
Check flight deals now!
Tips for Wellness on the Road
By the time a lifeguard got to him, it was too late. Stephen Schafer
was kitesurfing 500 yards off an unguarded part of Stuart Beach, in
Martin County, Fla., last February when he was attacked by a swarm
of sharks. “He got bit after he presumably wiped out, a very serious bite,”
says George Burgess, director of theInternational Shark Attack File at the
Florida Museum of Natural History. Schafer was rushed to a local hospital,
where he died of his wounds.
While shark attacks are rare, they’ve been on the rise, with 79 attacks in
2010—the most dangerous year for shark attacks in a decade. Here is
our list of some notable locations for shark attacks in 2010 and 2011.
Although no one beach is more likely to be prone to shark attacks than
another, these are mostly part of larger areas known to be where
sharks and humans come into contact with each other.
Surf Beach, north of Santa Barbara, California
Shark attacks are relatively common in the waters off northern California,
but one attack in central California in 2010 drew a lot of attention.
Nineteen-year-old surfer Luke Ransom was catching large waves
in the waters off Vandenberg Air Force base near Santa Barbara,
when he was attacked by an 18-foot great white. The surfer did
not get back to shore in time and bled to death.
Courtesy of Forbes ImagesNew Smyrna Beach, Florida
There were 13 unprovoked shark attacks – one fatal – in
Florida in 2010, statistically the most likely place in the
world to get bitten by a shark. That likelihood shows no
sign of abating this year. In addition to an attack on dive
instructor Daniel Webb on June 12, the most recent attack was
on a 19-year-old swimmer in New Smyrna Beach on June 6, the
third person this year to get bitten by a shark in part of the so-called
“red triangle.”
Courtesy of Forbes ImagesTopsail Island, North Carolina
North Carolina has had a moderate amount of shark attacks
in the past decade, including five last year, up from one the
year before. One of those victims was Carley Schlentz, a
13-year-old girl from Greensboro, N.C., who was attacked
near Topsail Island. She was bitten twice before she made
it out of the water, and required 60 stitches to close the wounds.
Courtesy of Forbes ImagesFripp Island, South Carolina
Shark attacks are relatively rare in East Coast waters north of
Florida, and in South Carolina particularly, but last year the state
was the site of four attacks, all of which were non-fatal. One of
those sharks attacked six-year-old Ella Morris, who was playing
on a boogie board with her father when a shark bit into Ella’s leg
and dragged her underwater. Ella’s father chased the shark away
with the board and ran ashore to a nearby firehouse for help. Ella’s
wound required 22 stitches but she survived the attack.
Courtesy of Forbes ImagesLyman Beach, Kona, Hawaii
Hawaii is also one of the world’s hotspots for shark encounters.
The islands were the location of four unprovoked attacks last year
and a few this year as well. Two of those attacks occurred within
three days of each other in the waters near Lyman Beach in Kona,
the first recorded attacks in that part of the big island. Theresa
Fernandez was surfing in the waters off Kona when she felt
something hard hit the bottom of her board. When the rear of her
surfboard was pulled under the water, she paddled furiously to get
away from what she knew was a shark. Luckily, Fernandez and
another surfer, Alayna DeBina, both escaped their encounters without injury.
Amazon Forum Fav đź‘Ť
Upvote
0
