shark!

[SKay]

Did you all hear about the girl who was killed by a shark yesterday? It happened only about 45 miles from here. If it isn't storms, it's sharks--literally. 2003 Florida had the most shark attacks any where in the world--31. Last year there were only 12 or 14 (can't remember) because fewer people were at the beaches--too many hurricanes!

Christy, I couldn't help but think of Cami because I know at one time she was wanting to visit FL beaches with a friend. This was a 14 year old girl who was visiting Florida with some friends, and it turned out to be a mother's worst nightmare.

[Amsmom]

omg skay!!! i thought of you b/c i knew it was in the panhandle, but i had no idea it was THAT close. how terribly sad, huh?

[finnmom]

Skay, that´s really sad. i also, thought about you when I read it was at thte Florida panhandle....How terribly sad thing

[AnneM]

Oh that's AWFUL!!

[Linda]

That is really tragic...they interviewed the man that tried to help the girl this morning on TV. He wanted the family to know that the girl had done nothing wrong.....that she wasn't out to far in the water.

[camismom]

I heard about it Skay. Thanks for thinking of me and Cami. It is scary indeed! I remember times of going to Panama City as a teen and going WAY out on floats with my friend. I certainly wouldn't do it today! I hate it for the tourist industry of Florida, but people have to be aware that there are "critters" in the ocean and they have to be onguard at all times. To me, I just go in far enough to get wet and cool off. Cami likes to ride the waves on a float but still doesn't go out too far. Problem is, with all the hurricanes and beach erosion, the sharks are able to get in closer that they used to. Again, we just have to be very careful!

My thoughts are with the family of this poor girl!

[kurs10b]

A boy was bit today not that far from where the girl was. Havent they done research on things to keep the sharks away from the beaches? I thought they were working on some kind of impulse thing or high pitched noise or some sort of thing.

[mothercat]

That is terible news about the girl..her poor family!

I guess we arent really at the top of the food chain afterall....how will all of this affect Floridas economy with the tourism ..I mean isn't alot of money made off the beaches and swimming? Are there more than normal sharks coming closer or what?
Although I heard today tragedy can happen out of the blue... a teenage boy in a suburb I guess near Chicago
(it was a chicago radio station) got hit and killed by lightening in his own back yard during a regual rain shower. Its always such a tragedy to lose young people
however it happens.

Did the poor girls friend that was with her get bit or messed with? Or do sharks just single out one
victum at a time? (hey I live in corn fields...I dont know )

[camismom]

The problem is all the hurricanes Florida has had the misfortune of being hit with. Hurricanes cause beach erosion. Beach erosion does away with sandbars thus enabling the sharks to come closer in.

The boy attacked today was on a sandbar when attacked. It is a scary thing indeed.

[SKay]

Here's an article from our local paper. It says the girl was out too far. Who knows what to believe, though. The last article said that the girl swam back to shore after being bit then was pronounced dead at the hospital. Huh? There was also a picture taken yesterday of a hammerhead shark near Penasacola Beach. YIKES

All reports I've heard say that the other girl was not injured at all. I'll bet she'll have nightmares for a long time, though!!
***********************************************************************
A shark attack of a 16-year-old boy on Monday likely unrelated to Saturday’s fatal mauling of a 14-year-old girl, a shark expert said Monday.

The attack occurred Monday morning as the unidentified boy was fishing in chest-deep water at Cape San Blas, some 60 miles east of where 14-year-old Jamie Daigle was attacked and killed near Sandestin, officials said.

The child was flown to Bay Medical Center in Panama City, and was listed in critical condition, the Associated Press reported. Cape San Blas is a narrow spit of land protruding into the Gulf of Mexico from Gulf County, about 80 miles southwest of Tallahassee.

Speaking at a televised press conference in Walton County, shark expert Erich Ritter identified the type of shark as a bull shark about 6 feet long -- based on bite-radius measurements.

Ritter, chief scientist with the Global Shark Attack File at the Shark
Research Institute in New Jersey, said that Jamie was bitten five to seven times, and that likely the attack was initiated because the shark perceived her as competition for baitfish swimming nearby.

Ritter said it was “highly unusual” for a shark to bite a victim more than once. Researchers will attempt to recreate the scenario to try and determine what happened.

Jamie was swimming well beyond what is considered safe for swimmers, Ritter said. The deep water drop-offs beyond sandbars are preferred habitat for sharks, the University of Florida reported.

Shark attacks are most common in Florida because the state’s great number of beaches and high population, Ritter said. There were 12 attacks last year -- a substantial drop from the past years’ average of about 30, according to a University of Florida study.

Ritter said it is possible that Hurricane Ivan’s effect on the sandbars
could bring them in closer as they follow baitfish.

Gulf County officials could not be reached for comment on the Monday morning attack.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

[sportsmom]

I have heard bits and pieces of these shark attacks. I feel bad for the families It is interesting to know why the sharks are coming in so close because of the sandbars. Is there something the state of Fla (or even the goverment for that matter) can do to help put the sandbars back?? I would like to see something done because I do believe it will hurt the tourism in Fla if the attacks don't stop.

[camismom]

Thanks for the article Sandy! Me and a good friend of mine have been following the stories closely. Both of us were wondering how deep the water was where these kids were swimming. My friend and her daughter are actually leaving Friday afternoon for Pensacola Beach. They will be there until Wednesday.

Has anyone seen this article and very eye-opening picture?
www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8389018&&CM=EmailThis&CE=1
That shark is very close in!

[mothercat]

Yet another young person was attacked by a shark today...I heard it on the radio news..

[finnmom]

Christy that shark seem´s to be really close and really big one too