Officials at a beach in Florida are on the lookout for a shark that attacked and injured a young boy over the weekend.
The 13-year-old boy was riding a surfboard with his father at Neptune Beach Sunday afternoon when a shark suddenly bit him on his right leg. They quickly got out of the water and sought help from lifeguards at the beach.
Members of the local Ocean Rescue tended to the victim's wound and were able to get the bleeding under control. The boy sustained severe lacerations on his right calf and was rushed to the University of Florida (UF) Health Jacksonville to receive further treatment. He is now in stable condition.
According to Capt. Richmond Banks of the Neptune Beach Ocean Rescue, the boy's lacerations were about 7 to 8 inches wide, which suggest that the animal that attacked him could be about 4 to 5 feet long, or maybe even longer.
Neptune Beach was temporarily closed down following the shark attack.
Banks said they closed the beach for a while so that they could keep a look out for the shark. However, after 45 minutes of not spotting the animal, they decided to take the guards back off the detail and allow people to return to the beach.
Banks pointed out that there haven't been many shark attacks at Neptune Beach over the years. He said the last time they had a shark biting incident was about 15 years ago when a small shark bit a man on the foot.
Ocean Rescue has advised people to stay clear of waters where they can see little fish jumping around them as these areas are known as feeding pools for larger predatory fish. Swimmers could be attacked by sea creatures such as sharks in these pools.
The recent shark attack comes about a week after a 57-year-old woman in Vero Beach, Florida was bitten by a shark while swimming Humiston Park.
The victim said the creature grabbed hold of her leg but then let go of her immediately. She suffered puncture wounds on her leg and was taken to a nearby hospital following the attack.
Photo: Andrew Kuchling | Flickr
