Florida man in critical condition after 'severe' shark attack on a boat, deputy who saved victim said to be a hero



A Florida man is in critical condition after a shark attack on the east coast of the Sunshine State.

Around 11:15 a.m. on Friday, the Nassau County Sheriff's Office Marine Unit responded to a distress call from a boat reporting a shark bite that caused a "critical injury." The boat was off the coast of Fernandina Beach – which is roughly 35 miles north of Jacksonville.

The Nassau County Sheriff’s Office posted a video on Facebook revealing the details of the attack and how the deputy saved the man.

The man was on a fishing trip and had been bitten by the shark on the boat.

The man, who was said to be in his 40s, suffered a "severe" shark bite to his right forearm and had "lost a lot of blood."

A Nassau County Sheriff’s Office deputy boarded the boat and applied a tourniquet to stop the heavy bleeding.

The Nassau County Sheriff’s Office said the deputy piloted the boat to the Dee Dee Bartels boat ramp – where Fernandina Beach Fire Rescue was waiting.

The victim was immediately airlifted to the nearby UF Health Jacksonville Medical Center.

The shark attack victim is currently listed in critical condition. The man is said to have been alert and expected to recover.

Sheriff Bill Leeper of the Nassau County Sheriff's Office called the deputy a "hero" for the quick-thinking assistance that he provided to the distressed victim.

There had only been eight confirmed shark attacks in Nassau County since 1882, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File.

Nassau County is approximately 150 miles north of Volusia County, which is considered to be the "shark bite capital of the world."

There have been 351 confirmed shark attacks in Volusia County since 1882, including 17 bites in 2021.

There were 16 shark attacks in the state of Florida last year, or 44% of all of the attacks in the entire United States and 23% of the worldwide total.

In June, there were three swimmers who were attacked by sharks in two different incidents in the Gulf Coast of Florida.

One woman had to have her arm amputated and suffered "critical injuries" to her hip in the shark attack that happened in Walton County – which is located in Florida's northwest panhandle.

On the same day, two teenage girls were victims of a shark attack near Seacrest Beach, about four miles further east of the first attack.

One of the girls suffered "significant injuries to the upper leg and one hand," while the other endured minor injuries on one of her feet, according to officials.

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Professional lifeguard killed in Hawaiian shark attack: 'Loved by all'



A professional lifeguard was killed after he was attacked by a shark while surfing off the island of Oahu in Hawaii on Sunday afternoon, according to authorities.

Authorities were notified just before 1 p.m. on Sunday after a concerned witness reported seeing a man being the victim of a shark attack near Goat Island. The Honolulu Ocean Safety and the city's fire, police, and emergency medical services departments responded to Mālaekahana Beach on Oahu's North Shore after receiving the distress call.

Local lifeguards purportedly brought the victim back to shore via a jet ski. Paramedics attempted life-saving procedures. However, the lifeguard was pronounced dead at the scene.

City and County of Honolulu Ocean Safety lifeguard Tamayo Perry, 49, died in the shark attack, according to local officials.

Perry reportedly suffered from several shark bites, Shayne Enright of the Honolulu Emergency Services Department said in a statement.

Following the lethal shark attack, Ocean Safety personnel posted warnings to warn swimmers and surfers in the area.

Honolulu Ocean Safety Acting Chief Kurt Lager recalled that Perry was a "lifeguard loved by all."

"He's well known on the North Shore. He’s a professional surfer known worldwide,” Lager stated at a press conference. "Tamayo’s personality was infectious and as much as people loved him, he loved everyone else more."

Lager added, "Tamayo was a legendary waterman and highly respected. Our condolences go out to Tamayo’s family and to the entire lifeguard ohana. We’re asking for some privacy for his family at this time."

Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi described Perry’s death as a "tragic loss."

"Tamayo was a legendary waterman and highly respected, a great member of our Ocean Safety team," Blangiardi said.

"The City and County of Honolulu stands with our Ocean Safety community and will provide all necessary support during this period of mourning. We ask the community to join us in honoring his memory and to keep his loved ones in your thoughts and prayers," Blangiardi remarked.

Perry allegedly began his career with the Ocean Safety Department in July 2016.

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'It's stuff nightmares are made of': Talented, 'dearly loved' teenage surfer killed in shark attack in front of father



A teenage surfer was killed in a shark attack in Australia. The deadly shark attack reportedly happened in front of the father of the talented surfing teenager.

A teenage surfer – who was mauled to death in a shark attack – was identified as 15-year-old Khai Cowley.

On Thursday afternoon, Khai was surfing at Ethel Beach on South Australia’s Yorke Peninsula. Khai’s father was with him on the water, according to the New York Post.

Suddenly, a suspected great white shark attacked Cowley. Business Insider reported that Cowley's "leg was bitten off" during the animal attack.

Local surfer – Tim Philip – told 7News, "I started moving down toward the beach and I could see the dad on the rocks sort of yelling and his son swimming towards him."

Phillips added that he paddled out toward Cowley, but the suspected great white shark began circling. He believed that the animal was a 13-foot great white shark.

"Then it started to head back out to sea. I was in waist-deep water and just made the decision to run back ... chest deep at this point, grab him, and managed to drag him back to shore, back to the people on the beach," Phillips explained. "It was just a matter of ... I didn’t want to see his body out to sea, so did what I could."

Emergency services rushed to the Australian beach, but could not save Khai.

Khai was reportedly on vacation when he suddenly died from the shark attack.

A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to pay for funeral costs for the family.

The GoFundMe campaign described Kai as "a most beautiful soul" who was taken too soon.

Cowley's grandfather, Peter Barley, said of his grandson's tragic death: "So hurting…I’ve never seen people so hurt, honestly… it’s something to behold. I keep thinking at any minute he’s just going to keep walking through the front door."

Ryan Valente, the owner of a local fishing charter company, told ABC Radio Adelaide. "It's the stuff nightmares are made of. I've got some friends in the area who've been here since day dot, and talking to them, not even in their memory can they remember anything close to an event like this."

Khai's surf club, the Seaview Road Boardriders, stated on its Instagram page:

We write this in disbelief and devastation at the loss of our grom Khai. We send our love to Kate, Tim, and younger brother Jett. Khai is a 3rd generation Roader with his grandfather Pete Barley leading the way, and his uncle Adam guiding him over the years. All three took out awards at the Southern Surf Festival in a special moment for their family and for Roaders. Khai surfed his last rally at the Roaders single fin memorial, shining on the day and as always offering a helping hand. He was a true club man, a Roader through and through and the club was proud to award him the outstanding grom performer award for 2023. He was a standout. He helped the little groms, made their trainings fun and they all looked up to him. Khai was one of our top groms and was due to represent the club at the Boardriders Battle in March. We will surf this for you Khai with all our heart and soul. You will live on in our hearts and memories, once a Roader always a Roader. Represent the skull and crossbones up there grom. We will all miss you so much and will keep on shredding for you.

Surfing South Australia said in a statement:

After the devastating news that one of our Grom surfers, Khai, was involved in a fatal incident at Ethel Beach on December 28th we have been keeping Khai’s family and friends in our thoughts. Khai was very involved in our surfing community with his passion for surfing stemming from a family with deep surfing roots in SA. He was a happy, kind and respectful kid, very much loved by his surfing peers and he will be greatly missed out in our community and on the water.

There have been several serious shark bite incidents in recent months.

Cowley is the third shark attack fatality this year in Australia.

Tod Gendle, 55, was killed in October in a shark attack at Granites Beach on Australia's West Coast.

In May, 46-year-old teacher Simon Baccanello died in a shark attack while surfing at Walkers Rock Beach.

delete Fatal Shark Attack | 10 News First www.youtube.com

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3 sailors rescued from sinking boat damaged from numerous shark attacks near Australia



Three sailors were rescued on Wednesday from their inflatable catamaran after it suffered damage from numerous shark attacks.

The sailors issued a distress call on Wednesday after the damage to the catamaran made it clear that they could not continue on their trip. They had been planning a trip from the island of Vanuatu to Brisbane in northern Australia as a part of a voyage around the world.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority said that it received the distress call at about 1:30 a.m. and found the sailors on their boat about 500 miles away from Australia.

The 30-foot catamaran had sustained damage from shark attacks to both hulls.

The three sailors, two from Russia and one from France, were rescued with the help of another ship and a rescue plane. The catamaran was abandoned.

“The three males were very happy to be rescued, and they’re all healthy and well," said Joe Zeller, deputy manager of the agency's Canberra facility. “They were very well prepared. They were calm, but of course, they were elated to be rescued.”

The sailors indicated that the sharks first attacked the boat on Monday and it began to sink on Tuesday.

The expedition was meant to commemorate historical events accomplished by Russian sailors, according to the Russian Geographic Society. A separate vessel from the voyage around the world also suffered damage from shark attacks as it sailed near Tahiti in June.

Zeller said that the rescuers were able to quickly find the sailors because they had been prepared with an emergency distress beacon. He added that there are many reasons why a shark might attack a boat.

“However, the motivations of these sharks is unclear,” Zeller said.

Here's more about the shark attack rescue:

Three sailors rescued off Australia coast after sharks attack inflatable boat www.youtube.com

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'Thank you Jesus!' Fisherman narrowly escapes kayak-chomping shark, accidentally captures viral video

'Thank you Jesus!' Fisherman narrowly escapes kayak-chomping shark, accidentally captures viral video



A Hawaii man is counting his lucky stars after narrowly escaping a tiger shark that chomped onto the angler's kayak instead of his body, KITV reported.

"Dunno how I did that, but my foot actually pushes the shark off near its vulnerable eye. Thank you Jesus!" a message within the YouTube video says.

"I realize that life is short, time is short on Earth, so make the most of it," fisherman Scott Haraguchi told KITV.

The 42-second video quickly went viral on social media, and it's easy to understand why.

The video opens with a school bus-yellow kayak filled with gear gently making its way through the calm, crystal blue waters on the windward side of Oahu. A quiet breeze and the sound of a crinkling wrapper can be heard. All seems to be well.

The serene scene lasted all of about nine seconds before a tiger shark came barreling toward the front of kayak, ramming it on the side. At the ten-second mark, the beast latches onto the craft, leaving minor teeth marks in it. The shark clamped on for a couple of seconds, and Haraguchi can be heard screaming.

"Tiger shark rammed me!" the angler yelled, adding an expletive in the heat of the moment.

Though you might have to pause the video and squint to see it, at about the 11-second mark, Haraguchi's black, white-soled shoe connects with the shark's eye region. He gave it a shove, and the mammoth macropredator disengaged.

"Happened so fast. Didn't realize I took my left foot out of the water to brace myself from impact and actually pushed the shark's head off with it. If you asked me to do that again, even without the shark, I don't think I'd have that flexibility," text accompanying the video says.

Haraguchi reportedly went on fishing after the shark swam away and didn't fully appreciate the depth of the encounter until watching the video later at home. The wild video was caught on a GoPro he had accidentally left on after catching a fish, KITV reported.

"I heard a whooshing sound that sounded like a boat heading towards me without the motor, and I looked up and I saw this big brown thing. My brain thought it was a turtle, but then I got slammed by it and realized that it was a tiger shark," Haraguchi told the outlet.

The wise fisherman told KITV that he is counting his blessings and that he will be bringing a partner along the next time he hits the water.

Watch the viral video from Hawaii Nearshore Fishing's YouTube channel that shows fisherman Scott Haraguchi's too-close-for-comfort encounter with a tiger shark about a mile offshore from windward Oahu.


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'There was blood everywhere': 13-year-old Florida girl explains how she fought off shark attack that landed her in the hospital



A 13-year-old girl revealed how she fought off a shark attack at a Florida beach.

Ella Reed was sitting in shallow water with her friend near a jetty at Fort Pierce Beach. Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain.

"It went straight to me and got my stomach first, and I tried blocking it with my arm and my hand, and it kind of slipped in, and got my finger and my arm, and it swooped around and got my leg again," Ella told WPTV-TV. "It didn't really hurt at first because of all the adrenaline."

“The shark itself was so powerful. That was what I felt the most because it was hitting my stomach really hard," Reed told WPLG.

Reed fought off the shark, then ran out of the water with several bite marks, and her friend drove her home on a golf cart.

The brave teenager was completely calm despite just being the victim of a shark attack.

The 13-year-old girl's mother thought it was a prank, until she saw all the blood, and knew it wasn't a joke.

"First, initially, I seriously thought it was a prank," said Devin Reed, Ella's mom.

“It was insane because she was totally covered in blood pretty much from head to toe, so she couldn’t really see what went on," the mother stated.

"There was blood everywhere and she was more of a trooper than anyone else," Devin revealed. "We were all just shocked that it even happened."

Devin raced Ella to the St. Lucie County Fire District Station, just blocks away from their home. From there, the teen was rushed to the hospital.

Devin said Ella was shaking, but she was calm.

"She was so calm even when we got in the hospital. She was telling all the nurses, 'You can take pictures.' She was like a pro," Reed explained. "Pretty scary stuff, but thankfully she's there talking to you, and once you can see she's OK, then you calm down a bit."

Ella needed 19 stitches on her stomach, arm, finger, and knee.

“I was kinda in shock about everything that happened, so I wasn’t really in pain because the adrenaline was through the roof,” she said.

Devin had been living in the North Hutchinson Island community for more than 20 years, and never worried about shark attacks.

"Never thought in a million years, not my kids," Devin noted. "They swim, go surfing. They know how to stay away from bait balls and stuff like that. The whole thing is surreal. It sounds like a movie. It doesn't feel real, not yet."

The 13-year-old girl believes that she was bitten by a bull shark that was as large as 6 feet long.

Within 24 hours of the shark attack, the brave girl returned to the same beach where she was bitten, but needed crutches to walk.

Ella said she plans on going back into the ocean as soon as her stitches are removed.

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Girl, 13, says shark 'went straight to me' after surviving attack www.youtube.com

'God wanted me to fight': Hawaiian surfer, who lost foot in shark attack, explains how his faith helped him survive near-fatal encounter



A Hawaiian surfer was able to fight off a near-fatal shark attack. The surfer credits his faith in God for giving him the strength not only to fight off the shark but also to deal with the distressing aftermath of losing his foot in the bloody encounter.

Mike Morita, 58, has been surfing a spot known as Kewalos for years. The shore area not far from downtown Honolulu on the island of Oahu's south shore is popular with surfers for its reliable waves and shallow, clear waters near a basin.

Morita went to do some surfing early on Easter Sunday morning before attending church services with his wife. Shortly after 6:15 a.m., Morita was lying on his stomach on his surfboard after riding a few waves when he felt excruciating pain in his right leg.

Morita told KHON-TV, "It wasn’t really like a chomp. It was just pressure. I can feel the strength of it, and right away I knew it was a shark."

"In that critical moment, I went to God," Morita said. "I kind of surprised myself that I went straight into prayer."

Morita said he prayed for the shark to release his leg but never thought he was going to die — even when the pressure intensified as the shark thrashed about.

"God wanted me to fight, so I started beefing," Morita proclaimed.

The shark pulled Morita underwater, and he fought back. He gave the beast a "bear hug" and grabbed its gills.

"I wrapped my arm around it and my body around it. And at that point I was trying to go for the eyes, but my hand ended up by the gills. So as soon as I touched by the gills, it let go," recalled Morita — who started surfing in the fourth grade.

Despite the dangerous shark in the water, fellow surfers frantically paddled to help Morita.

"The water was red — with my blood," he said. "I cannot believe how much courage my friends had."

"They said when they reached me, the shark was still on me, so they were scared for their lives too, but when it finally let go, they were there for me. They were in shock also," Morita said of the surfers who saved him.

The shark attack severely damaged Morita's right foot.

The Associated Press reported, "At one point, he looked back and saw only bone from ankle to knee on his right leg."

The surfers used board leashes to create a makeshift tourniquet. Paramedics said without that tourniquet, Morita would have bled to death.

They pulled him onto a longboard and brought him back to shore.

Morita was rushed to a local hospital and underwent emergency surgery. Doctors had to amputate Morita's right foot.

"My prayer now is they won't have to amputate above the knee," Morita said.

Despite the life-altering injury of losing his foot, Morita has turned to his faith in God to prevent him from getting angry or depressed.

"I would be mad at God, mad at the world, mad at the shark," he said. "I can honestly say I am at peace. I have no fear of the ocean right now."

Morita even joked that he should have gone to the 7 a.m. church service instead of planning to go to one later in the morning.

State officials suspect the animal was an 8-foot tiger shark.

Marine biologists believe recent heavy rains may have drawn sharks into the area.

"And it’s right at the mouth of the Ala Wai Canal, so all the water that runs down the mountains and feeds into the Ala Wai was being flushed down there, and that carries all these interesting scents and smells and garbage and things that will just attract the sharks in from outside," said Andrew Rossiter, the Waikiki Aquarium director.

According to the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources website, there hasn't been a shark attack reported in Kewalos since 2002.

Morita said he hopes to surf again.

"The doctors are telling me that it’s up to me whether what I’m going to do," he said. "Yes I’d like to surf again, but if I never surf again, I’m still happy, I'll be alright."

Morita remains in a trauma center for his shark attack injuries.

A GoFundMe campaign has raised more than $80,000 for his medical expenses.

Surfer recounts surviving shark attack: ‘God wanted me to fight’ www.youtube.com

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Remains of missing father of 3 located in shark's stomach, man identified by arm tattoo



The remains of a father of three who went missing last month have been found inside the stomach of a shark, according to reports.

Diego Barría, 32, was last seen riding his all-terrain vehicle on the beach in the southern Chubut province in Patagonian Argentina shortly before midnight on Feb. 18. He stopped to meet with fishing friends. Barría told his wife that he was running late, but would be home soon. However, Barría never returned text messages and phone calls to his wife. His wife reported her husband missing after not hearing from him.

Two days later, Barría's ATV was found wrecked on a beach near Rocas Coloradas. Following a thorough search that included divers and dogs that lasted over 40 hours, there were no signs of Barría near the damaged ATV. Police only found his helmet that had been split in two after an intense impact.

Eight days after Barría's disappearance, two fishermen reportedly found human remains in the stomach of a shark caught not far from where Barría's ATV was found. The fishermen caught three school sharks. Human remains were found inside the stomach of a 5-foot school shark.

The human remains included a forearm, which had a tattoo of a green and red rose. The fishermen took the forearm to the police.

Barría's family was able to identify the missing father of three through the tattoo.

Upon hearing of the news, Barría's wife Virginia Brugger wrote on Facebook, "My heart went with you! I love you forever."

Because of the smaller size of the shark, authorities don't believe that Barría died from a typical shark attack in the ocean.

Cristian Ansaldo — the police superintendent in the city of Comodoro Rivadavia — said, "One of the strongest hypotheses is that [Barría] collided with a rock [while driving the ATV] and that his body was carried away by the sea, but we are going to handle all the possible theories with the evidence found at the site. The vehicle will be analyzed to establish how the accident happened, because the vehicle was found further towards the coast, but it could have been moved there by the waves."

Ansaldo noted that there had been a strong tidal surge during the weekend when Barría disappeared.

The police said that a DNA test would be conducted to verify the identity.

"We and the prosecutor’s office need to carry it out scientifically," Ansaldo said.

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Teen girl killed in suspected shark attack while swimming with dolphins



A teen girl was killed in a suspected shark attack after she jumped into the water to swim with a pod of dolphins in Australia.

According to multiple reports, a 16-year-old girl was jet-skiing on the Swan River in the Western Australian city of Perth around 3:20 p.m. on Saturday.

A 16-year-old boy allegedly witnessed the deadly shark attack. He was with a group of friends who were swinging from a bridge rope swing into the Swan River when they noticed a jetski nearby.

"There were about seven of us, and we were on the rope swing for around an hour or two," the witness told Western Australia Today. "We saw the dolphins, there were dolphins there."

"When all the police came by we thought we were in trouble," he added. "They looked at us and they didn’t tell us about it which is kind of worrying as after this had happened we were still jumping off the rope swing."

"Another person then came over on a jetski and told us to get out of the water," the boy explained. "We were so grateful that it wasn’t one of us, of course we’re so sorry for what happened and for the family involved."

The teen girl was pulled from the Swan River with critical injuries. Emergency crews provided medical treatment, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police Acting Inspector Paul Robinson described the shark attack as "very, very traumatic," and said the girl's family was "absolutely devastated by the news" of her tragic death.

"The family weren't there when this took place, however, her friends were and as you can imagine this is an extremely traumatic incident for anyone to witness so obviously we're offering counseling services to anyone who did witness it or is affected by the incident," Robinson said.

The species of the shark in the killing of the teen girl has yet to be identified.

The Department of Fisheries found it very unusual for a shark to be so far down the river.

The fatal shark attack is believed to be the first in the Swan River in a century.

Australian news outlet The Age reported, "The only recorded fatal bull shark attack in the Swan River prior to Saturday’s incident happened in 1923, when a 13-year-old boy was bitten on the thigh while swimming near Mosman Park."

The National Wildlife Federation noted, "Unlike most sharks, bull sharks can survive in freshwater for long periods of time. They have even been found in the Mississippi and Amazon Rivers. They prefer shallow coastal water, which means they can often come into contact with humans. Bull sharks are often considered to be the most dangerous sharks to humans because of their aggressive tendencies and ability to migrate up rivers."

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Teenage girl dies after suspected shark attack in North Fremantle www.youtube.com

Massive great white shark decapitated diver in first fatal attack of 2023: Report



A massive great white shark decapitated a diver in what was the first fatal shark attack of 2023, according to reports.

Around 11:30 a.m. on Jan. 5, Manuel Lopez went diving in the waters of Tobari Bay, off the coast of Benito Juárez in Sonora on Mexico's west coast. Using surface air supplied by hoses from a boat, Lopez dove into depths of as much as 59 feet in the water. Lopez was diving for ax tripe – a species of mollusk similar to scallops.

A fisherman allegedly witnessed the gruesome shark attack.

"He was diving when the animal attacked him, impressively ripping off his head and biting both shoulders," Jose Bernal told Tracking Sharks – a website that tracks shark attacks around the world with the purpose to "understand and share information on why shark attacks occur and to help prevent negative shark encounters in the future."

Bernal said large sharks had been spotted in the area.

"Local divers had been warned about the presence of sharks in the area and most had not been out for several days," Bernal said.

The shark sightings forced many fishermen and divers to avoid the area, but the 53-year-old Lopez continued to dive despite the risk because of a seafood shortage in the area.

This was the first fatal shark attack of 2023, according to Tracking Sharks.

Tracking Sharks noted, "White sharks are most prevalent in the Sea of Cortez, also known as the Gulf of California, during December and January when pregnant female sharks enter the area. The sharks will often search for fat-filled sea lions to feed upon due to their high caloric count."

In February 2022, 56-year-old Victor Estrella was killed by a great white shark in the same area. He was diving for scallops when he was killed by the shark.

In December 2018, 35-year-old Nahum Verdugo Aguilera was killed in the same area by a shark. The shark ripped off the man's leg and opened up a large wound on his abdomen in the Gulf of California.

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2023 Fatal Shark Attack Great White Shark 🦈 youtu.be