Boy, 17, mauled in shark capital of the world after dozens of attacks and sightings shut down beaches across East Coast | The Sun
A TEEN boy has suffered a possible shark bite in Florida, reports say.
The state, which is known as the shark capital of the world, has seen at least 13 attacks this year, data shows.
And, beaches along the East Coast have been forced to close after several sharks were spotted.
The suspected attack happened in Cape Canaveral, Florida on July 19.
It occurred in an area where there were no lifeguards, Fox35 reported.
The boy, 17, was taken to the hospital with minor injuries, according to WKMG-TV.
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Cape Canaveral is located around 60 miles from New Smyrna Beach – a resort that has been dubbed the shark capital of the world.
A spate of maulings has been reported across Florida in recent months.
Tasa Summers, 40, was on vacation in Daytona Beach, Florida when she was attacked by a beast on July 16.
She told WESH that she "didn't see anything in the water" before the shark attack.
Her injuries were not fatal or life-threatening.
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Addison Bethea, 17, was forced to get her leg amputated after being savaged by a shark in June.
She was scalloping with her brother when the predator pounced.
And, mom-of-two Lindsay Bruns was left with a half-circle-shaped wound after she was also attacked in June.
On July 19, a surfer suffered a grazed leg while a spinner shark was hunting a bait ball off the coast of North Carolina, The Charlotte Observer reported.
Officials revealed that the woman didn’t suffer a shark bite and took herself to the hospital for treatment.
Surf City Fire Chief Allen Wilson told McClatchy News that spinner sharks aren’t aggressive.
Wilson said they hunt fish with their mouths open and can leap up to 20 feet out of the water.
He said the surfer was in the “wrong place at the wrong time”.
'WRONG PLACE, WRONG TIME'
Chris Paparo, who has worked with sharks for 20 years, said the predators can sometimes get confused and mistake humans for injured seals.
He told The Sun: "If you're a surfer and wearing a black suit, you look like a seal.
"When we're swimming, we're clumsy and a surfer almost fits the profile of what a shark might want to eat – a sick or injured seal."
Meanwhile, New York City Parks Department officials were forced to shut down part of Rockaway Beach in Queens after a shark was spotted off the coast on July 19.
At least ten great whites were detected off the coast of Cape Cod between July 16 and July 17, according to the app Sharktivity.
Don Clavin, a Hempstead Town supervisor, told CNN that a lifeguard spotted a shark 25 yards off the coast of Long Island on July 17.
Beachgoers were urged to get out of the water after the beast was detected.
Meanwhile, Nauset Beach, Massachusetts was temporarily closed after a great white was spotted.
GREAT WHITES SPOTTED
Fire crews in Ocean Beach warned swimmers should only venture into waist-deep waters.
Chief Ian Levine told CNN that people “should be aware of their surroundings”.
Long Island has been rocked by a series of shark attacks in recent weeks.
Surfer Shawn Donnelly, 41, was knocked off his board when a sand tiger shark attacked off the coast of Smith Point Beach on July 13.
He was left with a four-inch gash wound to the leg.
Donnelly revealed he punched the shark to fend off the beast.
He told NBC New York: “It got my left calf and knocked me off my board… when I was falling off my board, I saw the fin and its back.”
Donnelly managed to ride a wave that returned him to shore.
A man, 49, was bitten on the wrist and buttocks by a shark at Seaview Beach – hours after Donnelly was attacked.
John Mullins was mauled by a tiger shark on July 7.
He was participating in lifeguard training on Fire Island when the beast attacked.
The attack left John with foot injuries. He was taken to hospital where he received several stitches.
Meanwhile, another lifeguard Zach Gallo, was attacked on July 3 near Smith Point Beach.
He was participating in a training exercise when he was reportedly bitten in the chest and hand by the beast.
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He was then immediately rushed to the hospital, where he received stitches.
A 57-year-old man reportedly suffered a laceration on June 30 while swimming off Jones Beach.
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