This has been an alert from your OOTB Ocean Water Safety Committee.
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There's also flesh-eating bacteria in the water off Florida beaches:
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/article24391999.html
I think I'll just stick to the pool this summer.
You can google search the image billy posted to see the video of the sharks feeding. Image was from last year
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Oh hell no.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.
a tiger that close?!?!?!?
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 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.
I heard the kids were wearing swim suits with confederate battle flags on them.
Yup, it was definitely a black shark.Or . .