Teen bitten by shark on NC Outer Banks in serious condition

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

WAVES, N.C. (AP) — A hospital spokeswoman says the latest victim of a shark attack off North Carolina's coast arrived in critical risk of dying, but his condition has improved.

Carol Flynn said Sunday the teenager arrived at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in Norfolk, Virginia, on Saturday in critical condition. Flynn says he was in serious condition on Sunday.

The shark attack was the second in as many days on the Outer Banks and the sixth in the past two weeks along the coast of North Carolina and South Carolina.

FULL short story at link.



FILE - In this June 14, 2015, file photo, emergency responders assist a teenage girl at the scene of a shark attack in Oak Island, N.C. Officials say a 17-year-old boy is the latest victim of a shark attack off North Carolina's coast, Saturday, June 27, 2015, the second attack in as many days and the sixth attack in the past two weeks. (Steve Bouser/The Pilot, Southern Pines, N.C. via AP, File) MANDATORY CREDIT

Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/a69a1c70b19445c7808917f65ba8ee7a/national-park-service-boy-bitten-shark-nc-outer-banks

[Dustlawyer]

1. Chief Brody where are you?

[VA_Jill]

2. We need to remember

that the oceans do not belong to us. They are the domain of the creatures who live in them, and we need to remember and respect that fact. Too many people are blind to it, and that includes state officials in those states which front on the ocean. They are so desperate for tourist dollars that even in the face of danger they will not close the beaches as they should.

[BlueJazz]

3. Mom!..can we go.. NO!!! ....but..... NO!!

Poor kid. I have to think this has something to do with the warmer waters? Anybody know?

[Plucketeer]

4. We're plundering these oceans

to feed our ever-growing hoards. We cut their fins off for some stupid soup. We take the food from these predators - then treat them with disrespect - they'll get recompense and/or revenge any way they can.

[BlueJazz]

6. Your words ring true.

[Triana]

9. Not sure it's revenge - maybe they're just hungry or scared.

Only humans are driven by revenge. Animals and mammals are driven by basic needs and protective instinct.

Beaches should be closed or NO SWIMMING policies enacted and enforced. Besides that, study needed into why the sharks are attacking humans with increasing frequency. Likely a human-caused problem.

[Plucketeer]

13. No studies needed

We're in THEIR territory and we're fair game by the evolutionary operating tendencies that are inherent in them as predators.

[Triana]

14. +1 n/t

[Jamastiene]

24. People know they are biting down at the beaches here.

Common sense should tell them to forgo that trip into the water right now. They can still go to the beach. All they need to do is stay out of the water right now. The fact that they are still going in and getting bit, at this point, is kind a Darwin Award situation waiting to happen.

What you said is right. Fair game.

[Marrah_G]

28. Or go to a lake or pool instead

[cstanleytech]

15. I kinda doubt they care one way or the other if we respect them or not because to them

we like everything else in the ocean is just another potential dinner.

[Plucketeer]

18. I was being a bit playful in suggesting

that sharks have any sense of retribution. I was just fantasizing that in the human realm, I/we could see us surmising that revenge was being sought. But sharks are just cunning, soulless eating machines. They've evolved to prey on the weakest, most defenseless opportunities they can locate. And we humans are pitifully out of our element - splashing around without any real defense strategy!

[Nay]

21. You'll like that new summer movie "Zoo," then. nt

[yellowcanine]

26. It would be "revenge" if they were human. They are not.

It is not revenge. Anthropomorphizing wild animals does not do them any favors.

[Plucketeer]

27. I guess you didn't see my other post. nt

[Baclava]

5. Long-line banning leading to bigger sharks?

Great white among the whoppers caught on Gulf Coast beaches

March 3, 2015

Land-based anglers say sharks they are catching off Panhandle beaches have been getting bigger and bigger, thanks to bans on longline fishing in 2010 blamed on killing sharks and game fish.

http://www.pnj.com/story/news/local/pensacola/beaches/2015/03/02/great-white-among-whoppers-caught-gulf-coast-beaches/24293505/

[Marrah_G]

29. They need to be big and healthy

Apex predators are vital for healthy oceans. Size is an indication not only of a healthy predator, but also of healthy numbers and sizes of their prey.

[Divernan]

7. More people in the H2O, warmer water & shifting currents

Also note that reporting/recording of shark attacks has improved. Some tips - don't wear shiny jewelry/bling in the water - it is similar to iridescent fish scales - can attract barracuda as well as sharks. Don't splash around - that signals a wounded fish or seal - easy pickings for a shark. Stay away from beaches with seal colonies - natural prey of great whites. Sharks attack from below - so it's more dangerous for swimmers or snorkelers or surfers than scuba divers.

As a scuba diver, I can tell you that you don't want to attract their attention, but it's the ultimate thrill to observe them moving through the oceans. They are magnificent. I've seen black tipped reef sharks, silky sharks, grey reef sharks, nurse sharks (they're pussycats unless you step on a sleeping one - but once they bite, they don't let go), one tiger shark (we got out of the water immediately!) and one bull shark swimming off into the distance as 8 of us divers were descending on a temporary anchor line.

Went to a fascinating presentation at the Explorers club in Philadelphia by the Shark Research Institute, with slides and films of their work studying Great Whites off the coast of South Africa. I've read a number of books about sharks and shark encounters but my fail safe rule for avoiding shark bites is to always keep at least one other diver between you and the shark. - a little scuba humor.

http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2015/0626/Why-shark-attacks-are-happening-in-North-Carolina
Why shark attacks are happening in North Carolina (headline)
csmonitor icon
Although very rare, the recent spate of shark attacks in North Carolina is likely caused by warmer water and shifting currents carrying shark bait north. (subheadline)
By Kelsey Warner, Staff writer June 26, 2015

“The number of worldwide unprovoked shark attacks has grown at a steady pace since 1900,” according to a report released by shark experts at the Florida Museum of Natural History. Four shark attacks in North Carolina in just two weeks appears to confirm the assertion. But should we clear the water? Not so fast.

The International Shark Attack File released by the Florida Museum of Natural History says the cause for the uptick in attacks is simple statistics: more sharks are biting humans because there are ever-growing numbers of people in the ocean, increasing the opportunity for interaction between the two species.

Frank J. Schwartz, a shark biologist from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, told National Geographic that attacks are heavily dependent on weather and currents. Two conditions, both of which occurred in North Carolina as early as April and have since persisted, are water temperature reaching 80 degrees Fahrenheit and strong currents flowing north along the coast, bringing shark bait along with it. Sharks follow these conditions, Mr. Schwartz said, coming from Florida and the Gulf of Mexico.

But Schwartz warned against statistical analysis of shark attacks. Incidences are so rare that it is difficult to identify trends or correlations. Similarly, water temperatures and currents fluctuate so much from from year to year, Schwartz said, that it is unclear whether climate change has anything to do with shark behavior.

[Telcontar]

20. Why do scuba divers practice the buddy system and carry knives?

When the shark comes, stab your buddy

[Divernan]

22. Good one! Very bad, but very funny!

What you want to avoid is a S.O.B, i.e, a Swim Off Buddy.

Also, I never have to worry about shark attacks. They leave me alone as a matter of professional courtesy. I'm a lawyer.

[Marrah_G]

31. LMAO

[Jamastiene]

25. That sounds like what my step dad told me when he was teaching me

wilderness safety, his way. He said I don't have to be faster than a bear or mountain lion. I just have to be faster than the other humans running from them. Of course, most actual safety courses tell you not to run at all. So, I think he was joking on that, maybe...

[Sunlei]

8. They have to safenet the east coast beaches. Sharks will continue to hug the coasts for food.

Sea life is in decline, even the west coast seals die off.

I will not be surprised when another, larger sea predator like the Orcas- learn to grab humans.

All it will take is one very hungry Orca to have success and the others will learn fast.

[Baclava]

10. Big fishes eat little fishes - sharks go where the food is, sometimes right on the beach

[Sunlei]

12. Thanks, that is an amazing sight!

[Baclava]

16. It's been said before, when humans enter the ocean, we are no longer at the top of the food chain

100,000 Sharks spotted off Florida beach

Beachgoers Warned About Massive Shark Migration



http://www.palmbeachermagazine.com/noteworthy/palm-beach-county-beachgoers-warned-about-massive-shark-migration

[Divernan]

11. Do not wear Yum Yum Yellow!

Do sharks prefer chomping into yellow things?

If sharks are common where you’re diving, you’re almost guaranteed to hear someone say that you shouldn’t wear yellow as part of your gear or exposure suit. Standard lore goes that sharks are more attracted to the color yellow than to any other color. In some places, this has even given rise to an alliterative expression: Yum Yum Yellow.

http://scubadiverlife.com/2014/04/25/shark-myth-yum-yum-yellow/

But is there truth to this? Do sharks prefer yellow? After all, for many years, we’ve believed that waving a bright red flag at a bull will goad it to attack. In reality, bulls are colorblind, which can be confirmed by dissecting an eye since the receptors that can decode color are easily identified. So that’s one animal color myth that doesn’t hold true. What about sharks and yellow?

The Discovery Channel’s hit TV show Mythbusters even took this question into consideration for one of their Shark Week specials. They put bait into the same type of bags in a variety of colors, including yellow, and dragged them behind a boat in shark-infested waters to see which ones got attacked the most. Their conclusion was that while sharks tended to go for bait first and foremost — regardless of which bag it was in — there were slightly more attacks on the yellow bag.

Diver’s Alert Network (DAN) has also addressed this question and concluded that there is actually some truth to it. Sharks don’t necessarily prefer yellow in particular, but a number of shark species tend to be attracted to any high-contrast color, such as yellow, orange, or red, as these are easier for the shark to see, especially in murky water or up against a bright surface.

The fact that we’ve identified yellow as the most shark-attracting color has to do with its contrast quality. It’s often chosen for ocean-rescue equipment, such as emergency-flotation devices and life rafts, for the very same reason; high contrast means it’s easy to spot.

So while there’s no proof that sharks prefer any given color, it is true that they prefer high-contrast colors. So when diving in areas sharks are known be, consider wearing black, blue, or dark gray exposure suits and gear, and avoid shiny, metallic elements that might attract both sharks and other marine predators — there’s a reason fishing lures are made of shiny metal. Save the high-contrast color for signaling devices, such as a yellow or orange DSMB.

[Third Doctor]

17. How about a nice swim in a pool?

Not on a coastline where there could be predators who don't respect human privilege. They just see a meal. I wonder was this a Bull Shark?

[csziggy]

19. Watch out for Cryptosporidium in swimming pools and lakes!

http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/swimming/rwi/illnesses/cryptosporidium.html

Oh - even rivers aren't safe. "River Monsters" TV show has found bull sharks far upstream in rivers:

[Marrah_G]

30. Yup, bulls have been found far up the mississipi

Unless the density of fish in rivers outpaces the density of fish in the sea, I doubt it will become a huge problem. People should be aware though, especially in rivers close to the coast.

[AngryAmish]

23. Gorilla marketing for Discovery's shark week.