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Another Shark Attack . . . Wed., July 1st in Ocracoke and Another in Isle of Palms

BillyL

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Aug 17, 2005
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This has been an alert from your OOTB Ocean Water Safety Committee.


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Pretty rough weekend off the North Carolina coast with a 12 yr old boy losing part of an arm to a shark. And a 14 yr old girl also losing an arm (and maybe part of leg) in a separate attack perhaps only moments apart from each other.
 
There was also an attack last week at Ocean Isle Beach, though no where the severity of this weekend's at Oak Island. The one at OIB was though to have been a large sand shark that bit a kid on the calf in waist deep water . .
 
I saw what had to be at least a 10' shark in the surf last weekend. Then the two attacks yesterday just a few miles away. Theres also lots of pics on social media from surf city of a lot of sharks in the surf there.

I dont understand keeping the beach open at oak island. Seems obvious to me the same shark attacked the kids. Same place, attacked in same manner. I would hate to be them if someone else is attacked today.
 
Both of these shark attacks occurred late in the afternoon and all my life I've heard that this time of day is prime shark feeding time. I definitely stay clear of the ocean then.
 
Worth noting -- not only was this later in the day, but the StarNews indicated both victims were swimming close to the fishing pier. Those are Strikes 1 and 2 when it comes to sharks.

It's very sad...I cannot imagine the psychological affects this will have on those poor kids and their family. That said, these things are so avoidable. Signs are posted on every beach to never swim close to a fishing pier.
 
blue2010, very true words there.

i see them every year on the obx and i always reiterate the same to my kids as was told to me; don't swim at dusk or dawn, near piers, or close to fishing.
 
I am actually sitting 100yards from the oak island pier. Funny how the people are staying out the water. Swimming early morning, at night, and late evening are no no's. Me personally, never swim in the ocean. I fish the waters enough to know what is lurking out there. Also there are mass schools of pogies sitting real close to shore, so the predator species are out in full force. And yes, being near the pier does not help. I hate to see people hurt by nature. Now every shark caught will most definitely be killed. Kinda like snakes are
 
You can google search the image billy posted to see the video of the sharks feeding. Image was from last year
 
You can google search the image billy posted to see the video of the sharks feeding. Image was from last year

Yep. The one I originally had tried to post, wouldn't display. It was taken by a guy that was on the OBX last year when he happened upon a feeding frenzy.
 
I was in a helo following the coastline down to Parris Island from Lejeune back in the day. Pretty sure it was around July 4th because the popular beaches were packed. About halfway through the trip the pilot dropped down to about 100/150 feet and you could clearly see sharks around people in the water. I'm not talking about one here and there...they were everywhere. I asked if he'd ever seen anything like that before. He grinned and said it was like that every time he made the trip in the late afternoon or early morning.
 
i kinda feel like every time i see choppers fly over when i'm catching a wave that i'm also surrounded.

imo, they are a lot tougher to spot than tv or the media lets on.
 
I miss being a dumb kid who could happily play on my boogie board body surfing and floating. Now I am a grown up with a hubby who surf fishes and I almost never go in the ocean. What a shame...but now I know whats out there.
 
And I'm supposed to go to Ocean Isle the middle of next month. Think it's a good time to sit on the beach, watch the babes in bikinis, and suck down some suds.
 
While I wholeheartedly agree with the no-no's of staying away from a pier, swimming in the dawn and dusk hours . . there have been summertime visitors doing exactly what these teenagers were doing for years and years, and according to the news reports, nobody can remember the Oak Island area having a shark attack. Not certain if that is true or not, but, that is what was telecast in a report early this AM on CNN I believe.
The first attack was at 4:41 PM, and I don't think that at this time of the year, that time is considered to be 'dusk' . . in fact, it is quite bright with sunlight.
Theres been a lot of discussion that there were a lot of skates swimming through those waters, and the sharks have been feeding on them. This would at least offer an explanation as to the 2 bites that were taken out of one of the teen's boogie boards.


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Surfing forums advise against wearing bright contrasting colors. Its also known boogie and shortboarders look more appealing to sharks than longer boards, kayaks etc. A kid with four limbs sticking out from a colorful shortboard is tempting fate just a lil bit
 
I miss being a dumb kid who could happily play on my boogie board body surfing and floating. Now I am a grown up with a hubby who surf fishes and I almost never go in the ocean. What a shame...but now I know whats out there.


When I was 13 I used to go snorkeling a 2 - 3 hundred yards offshore in Ft Lauderdale. There are actually a lot of beautiful reefs and wrecks not far from shore. I had US Divers rocket fins, weights, wrap around mask (talking 70s here so I was riding the bleeding edge), knife. I used to break up urchins and dozens of trigger fish swarmed and fed on them. Sharks never entered my mind since I assumed they were out in deeper waters (I was in about 30 ft of water max). Boaters came by and were shocked to see a 13 yr old kid so far out by himself. Now I would only go out there with a cage and a bang stick lol
 
While I wholeheartedly agree with the no-no's of staying away from a pier, swimming in the dawn and dusk hours . . there have been summertime visitors doing exactly what these teenagers were doing for years and years, and according to the news reports, nobody can remember the Oak Island area having a shark attack. Not certain if that is true or not, but, that is what was telecast in a report early this AM on CNN I believe.
The first attack was at 4:41 PM, and I don't think that at this time of the year, that time is considered to be 'dusk' . . in fact, it is quite bright with sunlight.
Theres been a lot of discussion that there were a lot of skates swimming through those waters, and the sharks have been feeding on them. This would at least offer an explanation as to the 2 bites that were taken out of one of the teen's boogie boards.


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Billy,

I can't speak for Oak Island, but I used to work on Topsail Island and grew up vacationing there b/c my grandparents lived there -- I don't have the stats to back this up, but I can recall 2-3 occasions every summer of people talking about a shark bite on the north end of the island -- right where all the shipping vessels come out of the inlet. It's very shallow, lot of fishing... The scenario of staying away from fishing sites and not swimming in murky water at dusk and dawn...it holds very true in my mind, even if the CNN's don't pick up on every instance of this happening.
 
Blue2010 . .

I've vacationed on Topsail the last 12-13 years. Most of it in the fall. Its an absolute fantastic beach for vacationing. I think there may have been someone bitten there last year and the year before IIRC.

What I was saying as regarding CNN was the day(Friday or Sat.) the mayor along with an EMS Supervisor and a couple others, the mayor said there hadn't been a shark attack similar to those 2 that he could ever remember.

About 16-17 years ago, we were at Holden Bch. (right next to Oak Isl.) and the talk of all the beachgoers was there had been a 8 foot alligator out surfing the waves. I said 'WUT' . . . but, yeah I guess there have been a few Gators spotted in the ocean in that area from time to time. Never any problems with them, but, it sure makes people sit up and take notice when you hear that stuff.

Back to Topsail, I've actually fished that inlet on the north end. Best time is to fish when the tide is rising . . September vacations there and plenty of stuff to do.
 
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Holden beach is were I stay. The alligators wash down the Lockwood folly river and wind up in the inlet. It is a strange thing to see one on the island though
 
Blue2010 . .

I've vacationed on Topsail the last 12-13 years. Most of it in the fall. Its an absolute fantastic beach for vacationing. I think there may have been someone bitten there last year and the year before IIRC.

What I was saying as regarding CNN was the day(Friday or Sat.) the mayor along with an EMS Supervisor and a couple others, the mayor said there hadn't been a shark attack similar to those 2 that he could ever remember.

About 16-17 years ago, we were at Holden Bch. (right next to Oak Isl.) and the talk of all the beachgoers was there had been a 8 foot alligator out surfing the waves. I said 'WUT' . . . but, yeah I guess there have been a few Gators spotted in the ocean in that area from time to time. Never any problems with them, but, it sure makes people sit up and take notice when you hear that stuff.

Back to Topsail, I've actually fished that inlet on the north end. Best time is to fish when the tide is rising . . September vacations there and plenty of stuff to do.

Topsail is awesome. I'm biased but I don't think there's a better spot in the country. One of the things I learned in that area is they want to stay off the radar -- Myrtle Beach is a CLEAR reminder of what that area would become if too many people realized how nice it is -- the commercialization would be nearly instant. If you notice, all of the fast food joints are off the island - that is on purpose. If I recall, a lot of those "Beach Beaches to Visit" surveys that always come out -- usually the southeast coast NC beaches don't even apply to be included in those. I'm sure it's just a matter of time before those areas become overly crowded but it's nice (at least now) to be able to go on the beach in certain spots and look both ways and not see a single person.
 
And the shark bites that happen -- a lot of times, they don't get reported b/c they are so minor...once the shark realizes it didn't bite a fish, it lets go.
 
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the sharks i see, blacktip, spinner, and sand usually let go after they investigate...the problem is with the other two in our area, they don't care...people can talk about whites, but the bull and tiger are no joke.

btw, the video i attached in from surfside pier in south carolina...our condo is on the beach about 1/4 mile from here...this is only about 20 yards out.

 
And the shark bites that happen -- a lot of times, they don't get reported b/c they are so minor...once the shark realizes it didn't bite a fish, it lets go.

Those are likely sand shark bites wouldn't you say . . ? Small 4 footers . .

Just my guess.
 
When I was 13 I used to go snorkeling a 2 - 3 hundred yards offshore in Ft Lauderdale. There are actually a lot of beautiful reefs and wrecks not far from shore. I had US Divers rocket fins, weights, wrap around mask (talking 70s here so I was riding the bleeding edge), knife. I used to break up urchins and dozens of trigger fish swarmed and fed on them. Sharks never entered my mind since I assumed they were out in deeper waters (I was in about 30 ft of water max). Boaters came by and were shocked to see a 13 yr old kid so far out by himself. Now I would only go out there with a cage and a bang stick lol

I didn't go out quite that far but I would have if I had had that kind of equipment. I remember being far enough out that I couldn't tell where my parents were on the sand and sometimes floated so far away that I had to swim back to shore and walk up the beach a good mile or so to get back to where they were. Glad I survived my youth
 
We're headed down to the Jolly Roger Pier and Inn this afternoon for a getaway ... I'll let you know if I become shark bait.

I've lived or vacationed on the NC coast all of my life. Personally I enjoy when shark scares like this occur, it clears out the beach of tourists to some degree. Of course I hate that people get hurt but it definitely creates an overstated fear. Statistically you have a far better chance of being in a plane crash (not dying, simply being part of one) than getting attacked by a shark. I enjoy the decreased traffic :cool:

Also, pertaining to Topsail Island being a "hidden gem." I couldn't agree more, however, they were recently listed in the 'Our State' magazine as a "Top 10 Place to Visit in NC" ... which sucks! Also, they're going to replace the old bridge at Surf City with a sky bridge in a couple of years, this will only attract more people. We're enjoying the peace and quiet there while we can.
 
An 8 year old boy playing in knee deep water was bitten Wednesday afternoon in the Surf City area. Fortunately the injuries appear to be minor . .

http://www.wral.com/boy-8-bitten-by-shark-in-surf-city/14735957/





A Charlotte man has been credited with rescuing an 8-year-old during a shark attack on Topsail Beach in North Carolina Wednesday afternoon.


WBTV spoke with Scott Pastushok, of Charlotte, via phone after he reportedly rescued the little boy. Pastushok appeared to be still shaken by the events.

He said couldn't go into too many details because, 'I really want to wait until [the young boy], is out of the hospital. This is my friend's son. Out of respect to them, I really want to just wait and pray he's okay," Pastushok said.

Earlier Scott's father, Neil, called the WBTV newsroom with information about the incident.

"My son and his friends were on the beach. The kids were playing in the shallow water about knee deep, probably 25 feet out," Neil Pastushok said.

That's when he says he son heard screaming.

"I asked him 'did you even have time to think?' and he told me, ‘No. I heard screams I hope I never hear again in my lifetime. And I just ran toward him'," Neil recounted.

"As a father that made me really proud of my son," he add, as his voice cracked.

Neil Pastushok said what he son saw as he reached the boy was a sea of red where the child was bleeding. He said the shark appeared to be a tiger shark.

Scott described the shark bites from the knee down to the ankle.

According to the Surf City Police Department the injuries appear to be minor. The name and the condition of the child are not known, but earlier reports from police indicate the injuries are not serious.

WBTV is waiting for a return call from Scott Pastushok when the child is released.
 
If it were a tiger, he wouldn't have "minor" injuries to his calf, unless "minor" means leg gone beneath the knee.

that's what i'm saying...a blacktip has a wide head and they do stuff like this.

i encourage everyone to get the ocearch app and track the sharks that have been tagged.
 
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that's what i'm saying...a black has a wide head and do stuff like this.

i encourage everyone to get the ocearch app and track the sharks that have been tagged.

There are certain things I don't want to know and the location of tagged sharks ranks very high on the list.
 
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