Central Florida Shark Attacks in St Lucie County
Florida leads the nation in shark attacks and this month the ‘hot’ zone seems to be the central Florida coast around St Lucie county. Over the April 1st weekend, two people were bitten within an hour along the same stretch of Atlantic beach. Fortunately, neither attack was life threatening. See our map below.
The 1st attack occurred near Waveland Park Beach. A 9 year old boy was bitten on his upper leg and waist. The 2nd attack, approximately 16 miles to the north at Normandy Beach, injured surfer Larry Olsen. The TCPlam gives a good account of this attack and has an extensive interview with Larry.
Quoting from the article:
Before paddling out, he noticed the two surefire signs that sharks were nearby: schools of bait fish and diving pelicans.
But Olson couldn’t resist the 4-foot swells, though he now regrets that decision.
“The signs were there,” Olson said Monday from Martin Memorial Medical Center, where he underwent a three-hour surgery for the bite to his right ankle.
He estimates the shark that bit him was between 3 and 5 feet and weighed about 25 pounds. He think it might have been a blacktip.
Be careful out there and practice good judgment when conditions are ripe for the presence of these large sea-dwellers.
