Florida: Summer of the Shark II

There's a lot not to like about Florida -- its flatness, the heat and humidity, hurricanes.

But for surfers, a primary complaint has to do with all the sharks. Especially for surfers at New Smyrna Beach within Volusia County, which in 2001 endured a record 22 attacks during a hysteric period dubbed the "summer of the shark."

That record now stands at 23, and in fairness, many of the so-called attacks were more like little nips. But the number must nonetheless be disconcerting to surfers and county officials.

The latest victim was a 44-year-old Jupiter man who was grabbed briefly on Sunday.

"It was extremely minor and he went back out surfing," Scott Petersohn of the Volusia County Beach Patrol told the Daytona Beach News Journal.

"There were a lot of surfers out, more than usual, and good waves. It was bound to happen with that many people on the water."

Bound to happen. You just don't hear such talk in Southern California, or even in Northern California, where the big great whites hang out. Of course, when there is an attack off the West Coast, it's generally serious.

Back to Florida, the shark-news website Fear Beneath asks a valid question: "Where's CNN? Where's Time magazine?"

A Fear Beneath blogger states, "In 2001, our record 22 shark bites gained us a prominent place in a Time cover story with the scary headline, 'Summer of the Shark.'

"Foreign news crews arrived in New Smyrna Beach and shoved microphones in front of surfers. From the kind of coverage we got, viewers got the impression that gangs of sharks were cruising the streets in cars looking for victims.

"This year? Zip."

Outpost's response: Must be the election.

-- Pete Thomas

Photo: A sign warns of danger to surfers and swimmers in the north area of New Smyrna Beach, Fla., in 2001, when there were a record 22 shark attacks or bites in Volusia County. That record was broken Sunday. Credit: Associated Press

Comments

[Jupp Baron Kerckerinck]

It is interesting and weired at the same time that people are complaining about the fact that the media is not paying attention to the 23 shark bites, most of them admittedly "little nips". When we enter the ocean we must know that we are not going into a swimming pool. When people walk for hours in the bush in Africa, they have to expect to get bitten - probably eaten - by lions. So, what is the trouble with 23 "little nips" by sharks?
We need to remember how important sharks are for the ecosystem in the ocean and for the survival of mankind, compared to the pleasure we get while playing in the ocean. Sharks belong there, we don't. But if we go, we should not cry foul when the media for once does not get hysteric and creates sound bites like "The Summer of the Sharks" in 2001, which, in my humble opinion, was a major overreaction anyway.
Maybe I misread the article and it was meant to be ironic. In that case I fully agree and feel sorry for all those whose "nips" did not get mentioned.
Jupp Kerckerinck zur Borg
www.sharkprotect.com