A 14-year-old boy was bitten on the leg by a shark at a Florida beach where lifeguards were conducting an outer reef training swim, according to Volusia County Beach Safety (VCBS).
The boy was wading into the water around 11:15 a.m. at Ponce Inlet, a beach area north of the jetty, when he was bitten in his right calf. VCBS officials said the boy was part of a Junior Lifeguard Camp.
The witnesses said the shark, an approximately 5-foot Black Tip, which is relatively common in that area, then attacked as the boy dove into waist-deep water.
The boy was treated by emergency personnel on scene and taken to hospital with non-life-threatening cuts, officials said.
Florida is the shark capital of the world, according to a report from Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack file. Not including Monday’s incident, there have been 351 attacks in Volusia County since 1882.
The report notes that while September is usually when most shark attacks in Florida happen, July, August, and October are also dangerous months. Two shark attacks occurred just over a week apart in May, prompting authorities to close miles of beaches on the Gulf coast and leading some beachgoers filled with AR-15-wielding civilians.
More than 10 people were hurt in shark attacks off the Carolinas over two weeks, and four others on South Padre Island over the Fourth of July weekend.
