Recent Shark Incidents
 
Reports on current shark incidents.

2023-03-18

Man Bitten by Shark in Florida

A 36-year-old man has been bitten by a shark in St. Lucie County, Florida.

Matthew Picarelli of Stuart, was body surfing off Pepper Park Beach around 11:40 when he was bitten on his right foot. Just as he was catching a wave, Picarelli felt a pain on his foot.

"It felt like a car hit me with a machete blade at the end of it," Picarelli recounted Thursday. "It's just the power that it went at me. And it just squeezed on my foot like a vice grip."

A friend helped him to shore and others on the beach helped put him in a chair until lifeguards got to him. 

Emergency responders helped him to his friend’s car, who drove him to HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital in Fort Pierce where Picarelli underwent surgery. It took 50 stitches to mend to wound.

A witness to the incident said it was a four- or five-foot spinner shark.

Source: TCPalm

 



2023-03-17

Woman Knocked of Ski Board in Australia

A woman has been knocked off her board by a shark in Australia. 

Just before 8 am the unidentified woman was surf skiing about 100 yards offshore from the Cheynes Beach Caravan Park when she was knocked off her board by a shark reported to be 16 to 19 feet long.  

The beach has been closed by the City of Albany rangers. 

No injuries were reported. 

Source: WAtoday

 



2023-03-09

Two Teens Bitten at Same Beach in Brazil

Two teens have been bitten by sharks in a 48-hour-period in Brazil. 

15-year-old Kaylane Timoteo Freitas was pulled from the water at Piedade Beach, Jaboatao dos Guararapes around 1:20 pm. A medical team attended to her wounds before being taken to the hospital by helicopter. 

Kaylane’s arm required amputation. She is said to be to be in stable condition. 

A second shark bite occurred on the same beach the day before. An unidentified 14-year-old boy was bitten on his left leg leaving his femur exposed. His leg was also amputated.

The authorities pointed out that the beach has been a restricted area for swimming since 2021 due to the frequency of shark incidents.

There are 150 signs in the region warning of the risk of shark encounters and a state decree has been in effect since 1999. The City Hall said they will schedule a meeting with the State Committee for Monitoring Shark Incidents to decide if new measures should be implemented in the area.

Source: Daily Mail

 



2023-03-07

Remains of Missing Man Found in Shark's Stomach

The remains of a missing person in Argentina were recently recovered from the belly of a dead shark. 

Diego Barria, a 32-year-old man was last seen on February 18th. Four days later local police Barria’s damaged ATV along with his helmet were discovered on a nearby beach. No body was found at the wreckage. On February 26th, local fishermen caught three school shark near the same beach, when gutting the sharks, they found a human forearm in the belly of one of the sharks. 

After examination by authorities, the remains were identified as the missing person, Barria. 

Officials say it is highly unlikely that the shark killed Barria. Instead, the police suspect that Barría likely died after colliding with a rock while driving the ATV and that his body was washed out to sea, where it was partially eaten by the shark.

Source: Live Science 

 



2023-03-03

Surfer Bit in Florida

A surfer was bitten by a shark in Florida. 

Bert Krebs was surfing with friends at Nathaniel Reed Wildlife Refuge Beach in Hobe Sound when the waves knocked him off his board.

"I was getting back on my board, and my arms were over the board. And I think I was kicking to get back up on the board," Krebs said. "I thought I kicked a rock, or something, and all of a sudden, there was the bite. And then two seconds later, it was done."

"I knew right away when it happened, I knew it was a bite. I yelled, ‘shark bite’ to my friends, and Dave said, ‘what?’ and I said, 'shark bite!'"

Krebs was able to swim back to shore where he was helped by an off-duty firefighter. He was then taken to St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach. 

Krebs underwent treatment to his right foot. "The shark basically took a bite of the entire foot, it seems like slowly released and ultimately took the slow toe off of the end," said Dr. Faris Azar, trauma surgeon at the Medical Center. 

Dr. Azar speculated that it was most likely about a four-foot black tip.

Source: WPBF News 

 



2023-02-27

Surfer Bitten by Shark in Brazil

A 32-year-old man was bitten by a shark in Brazil.

Andre Gomes was surfing at Milagres Beach when a shark bit him. People in the area aved the Gomes from the shark and took him to the hospital. 

It is unknown the nature of his injures or what type of shark was involved.

Source: MEAWW News

 



2023-02-23

Fatal Shark Incident at New Caledonia

An Australian tourist was fatally wounded while vacationing in the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia.


 

59-year-old Chris Davis was swimming near a pontoon boat about 160 yards off shore from Noumea when he was bitten by what is believed to be a 12-foot tiger shark.


Lifesavers took him ashore and tried to resuscitate him for 20 minutes before the ambulance arrived but the Mr Davis died at the scene.


 

One witness to the attack described the horrific injuries the man suffered. ?


"I offered my help to give CPR because back in France, I'm a paramedic," Amal Gic?quel said. "But when I arrived there were many people helping already like nurses and doctors were helping the lifeguards.”


 

Paramedic Vincent Ouradou told a local television network that the victim had been bitten three times by the shark: on the right leg and on both arms.


 

"The man was simply swimming. I think at least three parts of his body have been bitten off, his right leg and his two arms, he unfortunately died of these injuries," Ouradou said.?


 

Police evacuated the beach after a mass rush from the waters. Beaches were searched with drones but no sharks were observed. 


 

Source: 9 News



2023-02-04

16-Year-Old Fatally Wounded while Jet Skiing

A 16-year-old girl was fatally wounded while swimming in the Swan River south of Perth. 

Stella Berry was riding jet skis with friends around the Fremantle Traffic Bridge area when she jumped in the water to swim with some dolphins.  It was then that she was bitten in the leg by what is believed to be a shark. Authorities were alerted of the incident at about 3:45. Ambulances were sent to the scene where Berry succumbed to her injuries. 

"The investigation is still ongoing, it is still very early stages, however all indications by witness accounts is that it appears to be a shark related incident," Acting Inspector Paul Robinson said.

"I've spoken to fisheries and water police and unfortunately we have no idea what type of shark it is."

Robinson also added that it was unusual for a shark to be so far down the river. 

Source: ABC News AU

 



2023-01-30

Boy Nipped in Chest by Reef Shark

 A boy was nipped in the chest by a shark while fishing in the Great Barrier Reef. 

Radwan Alam, was filming his son as her emerged from the ocean at Lady Musgrave Island with a fish he had speared. As he flopped the fish onto the vessel, a reef shark appeared suddenly from the water and took a nip at the boy’s chest. 

Shortly after, the shark swam away leaving the fish and boy behind. 

The boy was not harmed and plans on going back into the water. 

Follow link below to see video coverage of incident.

Source: news.com.au

 



2023-01-29

Fisherman Suffers Injury in a Provoked Shark Incident

A 36-year old fisherman was bitten by a shark off the coast of Gqeberha, South Africa.

An emergency call came from a fishing vessel heading toward the Port of Gquberha from deep sea fishing grounds of South of Cape Recife, reporting a shark had bitten a fisherman on board. Apparently the shark was caught inside their nets and the unidentified man was busy with their regular fishing duties at the time of the incident.
Jonathan Tufts, National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) Gqeberha deputy station commander, said: “The fishing vessel alerted Telkom Maritime Radio Services, MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre), and the Transnet National Ports Authority alerted” which launched the rescue craft and met the vessel approximately seven miles offshore.

“He sustained shark bite wounds that had been effectively treated by fellow crew first aiders. The patient was stable, in good spirits, and fully mobile.”

The NSRI transported the fisherman to the rescue state in Gqeberha where they met EMS paramedics who assessed the injures. They provided care while transporting the fisherman to the hospital. 

Source: The South African

 



2023-01-28

Man Fatally Wounded off the Coast of Mexico

A fisherman was fatally wounded while diving for mollusk off the coast of Mexico. 

Manuel Lopez was out diving for ax tripe, a scallop-like mollusk. He was using surface-supplied air from a hose connected to a compressor on the boat that allowed him to dive the 36 to 59 feet where the ax tripe are typically found. At approximately 11:30 am, Lopez was bitten by a 19-foot great while detaching his head and part of both shoulders, a witness said. 

Tenders aboard the fishing boat were powerless to help the diver as he lost his life. 

This marks the first fatal shark incident of 2023.

Source: The Western Journal

 



2023-01-08

Woman from Romania Encounters Shark in Florida Keys

A tourist from Romania was bitten by a shark in the Florida Keys. 

On January 8th Nicole Cioban, 34, was swimming near the Outer Mole of Fort Zachary causeTaylor Historic Park in Key West when what appeared to be a large shark caused Cioban to suffer 
lacerations to his thigh, knee and calf area. 

Cioban walked to an ambulance and was taken to an area hospital. 

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection said in a statement that it could only confirm there was an unknown marine life encounter the day of Cioban’s incident.

Source: Boston 25 News



2023-01-03

Mako Strikes Fisherman in Pensacola, Fl

A fisherman was struck by a mako shark in Pensacola, Florida. 

Chad Patti was speak fishing for wahoo 70 miles off Pensacola Beach when he encountered the shark. As he swam toward the fish the shark struck him. 

“The [fish] were about 150 feet from me and I was waiting. I did a dive about 70 feet because I saw a Wahoo, and when I came back up, I started looking around trying to see if I could get that one last fish. I start to swim forward and get ready to ask another question and then as soon as I open my mouth the shark blindsides me.” 

Patti suffered no injuries and looks forward to more fishing next week. 

Video of the incident can be seen here, mako strike

Source: WKRG News 5

 



2023-01-01

Man Bitten by Shark in South Africa

A 26-year-old male was bitten by a shark in South Africa.

The unidentified victim was on a charted dive at Shelly Beach, just off the coast of KwaZulu-Natal South Coast when the incident took place.

Mi7 National Group’s Emergency Medical Services medics responded to a call. The male sustained serious bite marks to his arm and was transported to a local hospital.  No further information has been reported on the man’s condition.

Source: IOL News

 



2022-12-14

Swimmer Suffers Serious Injuries in Hawaii

A 68-year-old Waikoloa man has been bitten by a shark in Hawaii. 

According to the Hawaii Island police, the unidentified man was swimming about 50-70 yards off the shore of Anaehoomalu Bay around 8:15 in the morning when a 12-foot tiger shark bit him on the lower left torso. 

The swimmer attempted to fend off the shark with a diving knife and the shark released the swimmer.

“Our friend, yesterday, was right out there where the swimmer was,” said witness Anna Kathryn Sengupta of California. “I guess it’s just the wrong place, wrong time.”

The man was taken to Queens North Hawaii Community Hospital in serious condition.

Source: Hawaii News Now

 



2022-12-12

Man Severely Injured in American Samoa

A 43-year-old man was bitten by a shark in American Samoa.

The unidentified resident of Portland, Oregon was working on undersea pipes outside of the Starkis Samoa cannery, in Pago Pago Harbour when he was bitten by the shark. 

Dr. Akapusi Ledua, acting Chief Medical Officer of the LBH Hospital, reported the man had a significant number of deep bites on his left leg and suffered significant blood loss. He was operated on for over four hours and is now in stable condition. 

Arrangements are underway to transport him pack to Portland, Oregon for continuing care. 

Source: RNZ

 



2022-12-09

Woman Missing after Shark Bite in Hawaii

An unidentified woman has gone missing after she was bitten by a shark in Maui. 

The 60-year-old woman and her husband were snorkeling approximately 50 yards from the Keawakapu Point shore when the incident occurred. Her husband told authorities the two fought off the shark and then tried to swim to shore although, the woman never made it. Her snorkel set and part of a bathing suit were found. 

Shark warning signs have been posted and a search for the woman is ongoing. 

Source: Hawaiian News Now

 



2022-12-08

Man Bitten by Shark in Texas Gulf

A surfer has been bitten by a shark off the coast of Texas. 

The man, known only as Jim, was in the North Packery Channel when he collided with a shark.

Eye witness, Tommy Shilts, reported, "He caught the bottom jaw of a pretty large shark, it looked like. But it just kind of bumped him from underneath. He said it was a pretty hard bump."

The surfer was able to make it to shore where Shilts looked after him until the lifeguards showed up and treated the wound.

It is not clear what species of shark carried out the attack but bull sharks and blacktip sharks are the most commonly sighted species off the Texas coast.

Source: Newsweek

 



2022-11-28

Young Girl Bitten by Shark in Florida

A 10-year-old girl was bitten by a shark at Hobe Sound Beach, Florida.

Jasmine Carney of Palm City was at the beach with her grandmother and younger brother. Suddenly, Carney felt something sharp grab her foot. As she came running out of the water her foot was bleeding.

Martin County lifeguards applied first aid and a tourniquet to Carney’s ankle. She was then taken by helicopter to St. Mary’s Hospital in West Palm Beach where she received surgery to repair deep lacerations to her ankle. 

Source: TCPalm.

 



2022-11-21

Bodysurfer Encounters a Shark in California

A bodysurfer encountered a shark while surfing at Windandsea Beach, California.

John Holman was out body surfing when a shark bumped his leg.

"Felt something kind of bump against my leg, and I looked over to my buddy who was next to me – we both looked down, and we saw this grey back, like a dark grey back, but I couldn’t tell what it was at first, I didn’t see a fin or anything," said Holman.

Hofman reported the shark to be about 6 feet long which indicates it was a juvenile. 
No injuries were reported. 

Source: CBS 8

 



Click Here to View All Incidents


DONATE HERE, to support The Shark Research Institute!

Your donations will help support shark research and conservation.

DONATE HERE, to support The Shark Research Committee!

Your donations will help support shark research and conservation.

About Company

Sharkbytes is dedicated to providing you up-to-date information regarding shark incidents at any beach across the world. Try us out!

Terms of Use
Privacy Policy

Get in Touch