SHARK ATTACK Two surfers bitten at New Smyrna Beach

Posted on 10/03/2016 | About Smyrna, Georgia

They don’t call New Smyrna Beach the shark attack capital of the world for nothing. Two surfers who waded into the waters off the coast of central Florida approximately 20 miles northeast of Orlando were bitten by sharks over the weekend.

The attacks occurred within 18 hours and less than two miles from each other, according to local media.
A 32-year-old resident of Port Orange, Florida, was bitten on his side at approximately 5.30pm on Saturday. He suffered minor injuries and was taken to hospital.
Then, just before noon Sunday, a 21-year-old man was bitten on the left foot by a shark near the jetty on the same beach.
He suffered cuts but was not too badly hurt and able to get to the hospital himself.
The two bites are the 13th and 14th incidents at New Smyrna Beach this year alone.
Last month, a man was bitten on the ankle by a shark.
A Miami resident was bitten on both hands and a 16-year-old boy from nearby was bitten on his thigh.
In April, a 15-year-old competitive surfer was bitten twice by the same shark while surfing New Smyrna Beach.
Kelton Beardall, from the Jacksonville area, went to New Smyrna Beach with his family and when he hopped off his board he landed on a shark.
The teen says the shark nipped at him, and came back for a bigger bite when he pulled his foot away.
According to the Florida Museum of Natural History, a swimmer who visits New Smyrna Beach has likely been within 10 feet of a shark.
The museum’s International Shark Attack File, an index of shark attacks, says that there have been a total of 748 attacks in Florida – by far the most of any other state in the United States - since they began recording statistics in 1837.