VOLUSIA

Shark bites teenage surfer at Ponce Inlet in Volusia County's 10th unprovoked bite of 2021

Mary Helen Moore
The Daytona Beach News-Journal

PONCE INLET — A Georgia teenager suffered non-life threatening injuries last week when a shark bit him on the arm as he surfed in the world's so-called "shark bite capital," Volusia County Beach Safety reported.

The 16-year-old was paddling his surfboard about 500 feet offshore just north of Ponce Inlet at 1:20 p.m. Thursday, according to an incident report.

About 200 surfers were in the water that day, as the massive Hurricane Larry churned more than a thousand miles away, bringing large swells to the Florida coast.

The boy "felt something grab his right arm underneath the water" but couldn't see the animal responsible, the report stated. Witnesses reported seeing a 6-foot shark in the area.

World shark bite capital:Why is New Smyrna Beach the site of so many incidents?

Remembering with Mark Lane:20 years ago, it was the 'Summer of the Shark'

More stories from the Atlantic Ocean 🐢🐢:Ponce Inlet sea turtle hospital hits record number patients. It's only June.

The boy was treated onshore by Ocean Rescue. Volusia County EMS also responded, but he refused transport to the hospital.

The incident marks Volusia County's 10th unprovoked bite of the year. That's a slight increase from the annual average of nine bites, according to the International Shark Attack File maintained by the University of Florida.

"That is about normal for Volusia," said Tyler Bowling, manager of the Florida Program for Shark Research told The News-Journal in August. "We have seen even more bites in years past. So, this is just natural variation."

Bowling said their research team is conducting a movement tracking study at New Smyrna Beach to examine what environmental conditions bring sharks close to shore.

Volusia County regularly leads the U.S. in annual reported shark bites, though none have been fatal, according to ISAF records. Most are minor, cases of mistaken identity.

"The vast majority of incidents that occur there are very minor bites from juvenile blacktip sharks," Bowling said. "In places like New Smyrna, where the water is murky, the blacktip sharks can't see very well. So, they are likely reacting to flashes of movement. This could be a nice mullet or a human's foot."

All the shark bites from 2021

  • April 30: A 64-year-old local woman was bit on the foot while sitting on her paddle board  on a sunny Friday morning in New Smyrna Beach just south of the jetty. The water was about 8-10 feet deep. She was taken to the hospital as a precaution.
  • May 6: An Oregon woman, 21, was wading in about 4 feet of water when she was nicked on the foot shortly before noon in the northernmost part of Daytona Beach Shores.
  • May 27: A girl, 12, was surfing at Ponce Inlet when a shark bit her on the foot just before Memorial Day.
  • June 14: A man, 71, from Palm Beach County was standing in knee-deep water with a boogie board when a shark bit his foot near the Flagler Avenue approach.
  • June 14: Jai Villiamil, a 12-year-old surfer from Cocoa Beach, became the second bite victim of the day, about 1.5 miles north of the first.
  • June 18: Another 12-year-old, this time a boy from Orange City visiting Bethune Beach with his parents, was bitten in the arm in waist-deep water. He  was taken to the hospital.
  • July 4: A Miami boy, 8, was bit on the leg while standing in waist-deep water at 4 p.m. in front of Winterhaven Park in Ponce Inlet. The boy, who was hospitalized, was the only person on this list to have actually seen the shark, described as between 2 and 3 feet long.
  • July 15: An 11-year-old boy from Georgia was boogie boarding in south New Smyrna Beach when he was bit on the leg shortly after 4:30 p.m. The child was hospitalized.
  • July 30: A 47-year-old fisherman from West Virginia was bit on the hands after hooking a shark near the jetty at Ponce Inlet. The 4-foot shark was released and the man's wounds did not require a trip to the hospital. (Note: This is not included in the tally of unprovoked shark attacks because the man initiated contact with the shark.)
  • Aug. 7: A Sanford man, 35, was standing in knee-deep water in New Smyrna Beach when a small shark nipped his foot. His cuts were superficial.
There is plenty of merchandise available to tout New Smyrna Beach's claim as unofficial shark-bite capital of the world.

More:Shark Week? No, it's a nightly event for this New Smyrna Beach fishing guide

How to avoid shark bites

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission offers some tips on how to avoid shark bites:

  1. Swim in a group. Sharks are more likely to attack a solitary individual.
  2. Swim only in areas tended by lifeguards.
  3. Don't wander too far from shore. The closer you are to assistance, the more likely you are to survive.
  4. Avoid being in the water during twilight and after dark, when sharks are most active.
  5. Don't enter the water if bleeding. Sharks have a strong sense of smell.
  6. Avoid wearing shiny jewelry, which can resemble the sheen of fish scales.
  7. Avoid waters known for fishing. Diving seabirds are a good indicator that schools of baitfish are in an area.
  8. Be careful around sandbars and near steep drop-offs. These are favorite hangouts for sharks.
  9. Use extra caution when waters are murky.
  10. Avoid excess splashing, which can draw a shark's attention.
  11. Sharks can see contrast particularly well, meaning uneven tans or bright colored clothing may draw their attention.
  12. Don't let pets in the water.
  13. Don't enter the water if sharks are known to be present, and get out of the water if sharks are sighted.
  14. Never harass a shark.