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SHARK season is underway this summer after a person was attacked while swimming in the Atlantic Ocean.
First responders were called to the beach after swimmer Sean Barton reported a possible shark attack.
The swimmer sustained a leg injury, was treated at the scene, and sent to the hospital for further evaluation.
“Upon arrival, Beach Rescue personnel provided medical care to the injured swimmer, who was conscious and alert,” Sunset Beach Fire Chief Richard Childres said in a press release.
“At this time, the full extent of the patient’s injuries remains unknown, and medical professionals are working to assess the situation.”
Burton shared a video of what happened, ABC News reported.
“I just got done riding a wave. Standing up, I felt something bite down near my calf and shin region,” Burton recalled.
“Immediately, I thought, ‘I think I just got bite by a shark.’”
The surfer rushed to tell his nieces and nephews to evacuate the ocean as his brother-in-law treated him at the scene while his sister called the cops.
“I’m glad that it was me and not one of my nieces or nephews in the water,” he said.
“I’m definitely lucky that it wasn’t a lot worse than it could have been.”
SHARK WEEK
In 2024, the US led the world in shark attacks.
The International Shark Attack File reported that there were only 47 unprovoked shark attacks globally, with only four of the attacks resulting in death.
Over half of the unprovoked attacks occurred in the US, with 14 of the 28 attacks happening in Florida.
Just because the numbers may be low, experts warn it’s important to be vigilant when swimming in the ocean.
Shark sightings are already increasing on the East Coast, with social media users sharing videos of sharks congregating around them.
In Rhode Island, tourists spotted a massive 20-foot shark thought to be a Basking Shark.
Further south, in Panama City Beach, Florida, a shark was swimming just feet away from a woman near the shore.
Basking shark facts
Here’s what you need to know…
- Basking sharks are the second largest shark in the world and also the second largest fish, beaten only by the whale shark
- Its length is around 6.7 and 8.8 metres
- Despite their size they are known to be kind and gentle around divers
- They eat plankton
- A basking shark’s weight can range between between 3,000 and 6,000kg
- They have large mouths which can open up to one metre wide and they swin around like this to collect as much plankton as possible
- Basking sharks are classified as a “vulnerable” species
Surfers are at higher risk of a shark attack, with surfers being the victims 34% of all attacks.
“People surf where there are good waves, and where there are good waves, there’s turbidity, and where there’s turbidity, there are often bait fish that attract sharks,” Gavin Naylor, director of the Florida Program for Shark Researc, told USA Today.
“The turbidity also reduces visibility in the water, making it harder for sharks to see. Some of them make mistakes.”
Luckily, there’s little need to stress, as the odds of being attacked by a shark in the US are 4,332,817 to 1.
