Sharks on Florida Beaches: Abnormal Presence
Authorities are conducting marine patrols in boats and have warned swimmers about the presence of sharks on Florida’s beaches.
In this regard, the Florida Gulf Coast has stepped up its vigilance over the weekend, where a woman and two teenagers were injured in two shark attacks on Friday, June 7.
The presence of sharks on Florida beaches is a reality, with attacks in the Panhandle forcing authorities to temporarily close several beaches to swimmers on Friday.
The beaches reopened on Saturday, with flags warning of the danger.
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In another case of shark presence on Florida beaches in Walton County, police, firefighters and the state wildlife agency worked together to patrol the water with boats and the shoreline with vehicles, the South Walton Fire Department reported Saturday.
Both of Friday’s attacks occurred in Walton County.
Red and purple flags were used Saturday to warn beachgoers of the dangers.
Small fish travel in schools near the shoreline this time of year, which could have been a contributing factor in the attacks, Bay County police said.
Although it is an area considered a low shark presence, the cases in the last week have drawn attention.
Sharks on Florida Beaches: Abnormal Presence
The first attack occurred Friday afternoon, when a woman was bitten by a shark near WaterSound Beach, Walton County police reported.
South Walton Fire Chief Ryan Crawford explained at a press conference that the woman had severe injuries to her abdomen and arm, and part of her arm had to be amputated. She was airlifted to a trauma center.
Less than two hours later, firefighters went to another beach about 4 miles east of the first attack “after receiving multiple reports of a teenage girl injured by a shark,” county police said.
Two teenage girls were with a group of friends and had water up to their waists when they were attacked, South Walton Fire Rescue said.
“When emergency responders and police officers arrived on scene, they discovered that one of the girls had severe injuries to her upper leg and one hand,” the fire department said in a statement. She was transported to a trauma center. The other teen had minor injuries to one of her feet.
The two teens are from Mountain Brook, Alabama, a suburb of Birmingham, Mountain Brook city administrator Sam Gaston told the news site Al.com.
The two teens are from Mountain Brook, Alabama, a suburb of Birmingham, Mountain Brook city administrator Sam Gaston told the news site Al.com.
The time of the shark attacks on Florida beaches, mid-afternoon, is also anomalous, noted Walton County Police Chief Michael Adkinson.
Adkinson added that officers usually warn people to be on the lookout for sharks in the early morning and late afternoon, their usual feeding times.
On Saturday, Walton County police officers patrolling the waters in a boat spotted a 14-foot hammerhead shark near Santa Rosa Beach, which they said is not unusual.
