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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Scientists investigate whether 'cocaine sharks' are feasting on illegal drugs in Florida waters



Scientists have set out to determine if "cocaine sharks" are a real thing in the wild or if it just a potential title for a cheesy sci-fi flick.

In many cases, a drug dealer will dump the illegal narcotics off the boat and into the ocean if they suspect they are about to get caught by authorities. Tons of cocaine have been found floating in oceans just this year.

Italian officials confiscated more than 5 tons of cocaine floating in the ocean off the coast of Sicily this week, and another 2 tons in the water in April.

In May, approximately 80 bales of cocaine weighing 3.2 metric tons were found floating in the Pacific Ocean by New Zealand authorities. The capture was thought to be one of the country's largest drug busts in history.

Also in May, a boater found 16 bricks of cocaine floating off the coast of the Florida Keys.

In June, the U.S. Coast Guard announced it had seized 14,153 pounds of cocaine worth more than $186 million from nine separate cases in the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean.

Scientists are now conducting research to determine if sharks are becoming addicted to cocaine.

Marine biologist Tom "The Blowfish" Hird and University of Florida environmental scientist Tracy Fanara conducted experiments in Florida to see if cocaine sharks are a possible concern.

The scientists conducted experiments over the course of six days off the coast of the Florida Keys – an area "prevalent" for floating bales of cocaine.

The scientists dropped dummy bales into the water. The decoys were the same size as cocaine bales, but contained a highly concentrated fish powder that would reportedly trigger a dopamine rush similar to a hit of cocaine, according to Fox News. The sharks allegedly went wild for the fake cocaine bales.

Hird and Fanara also observed hammerhead sharks in their natural environment, and claimed the sharks' behavior was unusual.

The Guardian said of the research, "A hammerhead, a species that would usually swim away from humans, came directly towards the divers, moving erratically. They also observed a sandbar shark swimming in circles as it focused on an imaginary object."

The research team filmed their experiments for the "Cocaine Sharks" documentary airing on Discovery's upcoming "Shark Week" programming.

Fanara said, "It's a catchy headline to shed light on a real problem, that everything we use, everything we manufacture, everything we put into our bodies, ends up in our wastewater streams and natural water bodies, and these aquatic life we depend on to survive are then exposed to that."

Fanara noted that sharks could be affected by other drugs, but cocaine is so soluble that it could be the most dangerous for aquatic life.

"We’ve seen studies with pharmaceuticals, cocaine, methamphetamines, ketamine, all of these, where fish are being [affected] by drugs," Fanara said.

"If these cocaine bales are a point source of pollution, it’s very plausible [sharks] can be affected by this chemical," she continued "Cocaine is so soluble that any of those packages open just a little, the structural integrity is destroyed and the drug is in the water."

Hird told Live Science, "The deeper story here is the way that chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and illicit drugs are entering our waterways — entering our oceans — and what effect that they then could go on to have on these delicate ocean ecosystems."

Fanara said more research must be done to determine if wildlife is being affected by drugs dumped into waterways. She plans to partner with other Florida marine scientists to take blood samples from some of the sharks to see if there is cocaine in their systems.

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‘Cocaine Sharks’ may be ingesting drugs dumped on Florida’s coast | Elizabeth Vargas Reports www.youtube.com

Video: NFL super agent Drew Rosenhaus slammed as 'wannabe macho man' by PETA for wrestling shark



NFL super agent Drew Rosenhaus has been reprimanded by the animal rights group PETA for wrestling a shark.

Rosenhaus recently went on a fishing trip with Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill.

Last week, Rosenhaus shared a video on his Twitter account of an encounter with a large shark off the coast of Miami.

Rosenhaus jumped off the boat and into the water with the shark during the deep sea fishing excursion.

Someone on the boat can be heard saying, "Don't grab him, don’t grab him, Drew. Don't grab him, Drew. You don’t have good enough insurance for that."

Rosenhaus grabbed the large shark by the tail as it was caught on a fishing line.

The shark does not react to Rosenhaus yanking its tale.

Rosenhaus then swam back on the boat.

Shark expert Dr. Chris Lowe told USA Today that Rosenhaus was lucky to escape unharmed.

"The fact that that shark just kind of slowly ambled towards the boat. Kind of banged into the boat, kind of rolled upside down, those are the behaviors we see from a shark that’s either been caught and exhausted from the fight and then released, and they’re kind of groggy," Lowe said.

Lowe explained, "When you grab a shark by the tail that way, they can literally do a circle, come back around, and that’s how most fishermen are bit."

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals slammed Rosenhaus for his behavior against the shark.

"Spending so much time around top athletes must have Drew Rosenhaus feeling like he has something to prove," PETA said in a statement, according to TMZ.

PETA continued, "Aquatic animals already suffer at the hands of anglers who impale them, yank them out of the water, and gut them or leave them to suffocate, so they don't need some wannabe macho man yanking on their tails for a few Twitter 'likes.'"

Rosenhaus has not addressed the backlash he has gotten from PETA.

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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

A 1,000-pound great white shark is currently swimming along the Jersey shore



A massive great white shark has been recorded swimming off the coast of the Jersey Shore.

The shark has been named Ironbound, after the West Ironbound Island near Luneburg, Nova Scotia, where it was first spotted swimming, CNN reported.

Ironbound is said to be 12 feet, 4 inches long and is believed to weigh just under 1,000 pounds according to OCEARCH a nonprofit marine research group that provides open-source data about the migration pattern of sharks.

Ironbound was first tagged on October 3, 2019 in the waters around his namesake island near Nova Scotia. As part of its data collection process, OCEARCH goes through the elaborate process of capturing sharks and fitting them with electronic trackers that alert the organization to the shark’s whereabouts whenever they break the ocean surface.

Believed to be migrating north, Ironbound broke the surface of the waters off of the New Jersey coats at about 10:30 p.m. on April 28.

Ironbound is believed to be around 20 years old according to OCEARCH’s chief scientist Bob Hueter.

Despite his massive size, Ironbound is not the largest shark that OCEARCH has encountered.

Hueter said that OCEARCH has previously great white sharks as long as 17.5 feet that weigh 4,000 pounds.

Hueter said, “When we tagged him, he was impressive.”

Ironbound has traveled an estimated 13,000 miles since the nonprofit has begun tracking his movements.

Hueter said, “He’s gone back and forth from where we found him in Nova Scotia and the Florida Keys several times.”

The scientist explained that this is par the course for great white sharks as they tend to make this migration in the Atlantic Ocean each year. The sharks spend their summers in the northern waters near Canada and then make their way down south in the eastern Gulf of Mexico during the winter.

Hueter said that the migration “is an adaptation, of course, to seasonal temperature fluxes, to where the food is.” He also said that while marine scientists are not entirely sure where great white sharks mate, they have theorized that one place it happens is off the coast of the Carolinas during their migratory journeys.

"Mating season is over, we think, and Ironbound is on his way north to get into some good feeding ground and bulk up again for the next year," Hueter said.

"Sharks have been around for about 400 million years," Hueter said. "They in many cases occupy what's called the apex predator position, in marine food webs. Just like on land, that is an important role in terms of keeping the lower parts of the food web healthy and balanced."

Massive dead shark found hanging from rafters at Florida high school shocks students: 'It's kind of gruesome'



Students at a Florida high school received a major shock as they were greeted by a massive dead shark hanging from the rafters on Thursday morning. The carcass of the large shark was suspended above the outside walkway of the Ponte Verda High School in St. Johns County, Florida.

A student told WJXT, "I was going to first period, and there was this massive shark hanging from the ceiling, and it smelled really bad. I was really shocked. I just didn’t expect to see that in the morning."

Another high school student told the outlet, "It's kind of gruesome. I’ll be honest. That’s a pretty big shark too. It’s in the main courtyard. There are some steps that go up to the main hall, and that’s right over the steps, so it’s in a pretty major spot."

Custodians at the school removed the shark from the rafters around 8 a.m. on Thursday.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission – which is investigating the grisly incident – suspects that a gutted shark was hung from the rafters around 9 p.m. on Wednesday by five students of Ponte Verda High School, according to Alex AuBuchon, public information director for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The FWC believes that the shark was hunted down on Tuesday night and stored in a freezer before being strung up at the school.

University of North Florida Associate Professor of Biology Dr. Jim Gelsleichter suspects that the animal is a sandbar shark – a species that is protected in Florida.

"That is a prohibitive species in Florida, and so we are not able to land those particular species and that's really because the sandbar, their populations have been pretty depleted over the past several decades from overfishing," Gelsleichter told First Coast News. "So, they have a special protection."

Gelsleichter was shocked that the animal was hung from the rafters and said, "Those sharks are very heavy."

The FWC stated that sandbar sharks are "prohibited from recreational and commercial harvest in Florida state waters."

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission noted, "Due to its size, it is a potentially dangerous species and has been associated with few non-fatal bites on humans."

The school district also turned over surveillance video of the shark being hung up to the St. Johns County sheriff’s office.

"According to a local lawyer, whoever is responsible could face charges of trespassing, wildlife violations, and criminal mischief," WJXT reported.

A spokesperson for St. Johns County Schools told First Coast News that the stunt was considered a "level 4" offense. Possible discipline could include a 10-day suspension, expulsion, referral to law enforcement, and referral to mental health services.

The incident was reportedly a senior prank.

Coincidentally, the mascot of Ponte Verda High School is a shark.

(WARNING: Graphic images that may be disturbing for some)

The St.John\u2019s County School District confirms a shark was found hanging above a staircase at Ponte Vedra High School this morning. They don\u2019t know who put it there. It was cut down and removed. @wjxt4 viewers sent us pics. A student I spoke with says it was a senior prank. #PVHSpic.twitter.com/prXhToXdtV
— Marilyn Parker (@Marilyn Parker) 1651763250


Dead shark found hanging from rafters at Ponte Vedra High School www.youtube.com