Third Florida Shark Attack

MG · Post by MG » July 1, 2005 3:04 pm

There has been a third shark attack in Florida. An Austrian tourist was bitten on the ankle while standing in chest-deep water in the Gulf of Mexico near the lighthouse at Gasparilla Island Beach.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/07/01/shark. ... index.html

longlinergirl · Post by **longlinergirl** » July 1, 2005 4:13 pm

Sharks...in Florida...in the summer...never

sailingagain · Post by **sailingagain** » July 1, 2005 4:17 pm

They seem a little more curious this year, don't they?

Brown Eyed Girl · Post by **Brown Eyed Girl** » July 1, 2005 4:20 pm

I've got to wonder if all the red tides in the gulf this year are in any way contributing to these attacks? It seems like something is a bit hinky, given the timing of all these attacks.

I'm sure there are stats on whether attacks increase, decrease or stay the same in red tides...where's Sam when I need him?

longlinergirl · Post by **longlinergirl** » July 1, 2005 4:21 pm

From what I have heard , they number of attacks have been down recently because of all the hurricane mess going on down there from last year, which means less people on the beach. See what happens when they say we need to save the sharks from commercial fishermen

No really it sucks that this is happening, but I don't understand why it is making the news so much.

Brown Eyed Girl · Post by **Brown Eyed Girl** » July 1, 2005 4:22 pm

sailingagain wrote:They seem a little more curious this year, don't they?

That statement is just begging for a Far Side cartoon.

Brown Eyed Girl · Post by **Brown Eyed Girl** » July 1, 2005 4:26 pm

longlinergirl wrote:From what I have heard , they number of attacks have been down recently because of all the hurricane mess going on down there from last year, which means less people on the beach. See what happens when they say we need to save the sharks from commercial fishermen No really it sucks that this is happening, but I don't understand why it is making the news so much.

Attacks were down last year due to hurricanes, but it appears that tourism is alive and well, although it might be somewhat less than typical years due to places still being rebuilt.

I'm sure part of the press coverage is that these attacks have involved kids...but they have also been more serious than typical attacks.

longlinergirl · Post by **longlinergirl** » July 1, 2005 4:30 pm

Brown Eyed Girl wrote:
longlinergirl wrote:From what I have heard , they number of attacks have been down recently because of all the hurricane mess going on down there from last year, which means less people on the beach. See what happens when they say we need to save the sharks from commercial fishermen No really it sucks that this is happening, but I don't understand why it is making the news so much.
Attacks were down last year due to hurricanes, but it appears that tourism is alive and well, although it might be somewhat less than typical years due to places still being rebuilt.

I'm sure part of the press coverage is that these attacks have involved kids...but they have also been more serious than typical attacks.

I believe that the one that died was a kid that was attacked by a bull shark...they are big, ugly, mean sharks. I could be wrong thats just what I remember though. And there is nothing that will stop tourism in Fla. I lived there when Andrew hit and there were tourists there just to look at the wreckage from the storm. Them tourists are CRAZY...I have family and friends whose houses were hit from the storms last year, and they are still trying to recover from them. If you drive through the neighborhoods, they are still a wreck and a lot of the people are still living in trailors outside their houses.

HsvParrothead · Post by **HsvParrothead** » July 1, 2005 4:33 pm

I think the reason it's getting so much media attention is because the aggressiveness of the shark in last Saturday's attack... then before the dust settled on that one, 48 hours later another one 30 mins down the road... C'mon 3 in 7 days... on the same coastline is a bit "above avg" dontchu think

I'm standing by my original statements from last Saturday regarding the shifts in underwater landscapes and shoreline...

JOHN -- Sweet Line... yes, it does deserve a Far Side toon

HsvParrothead · Post by **HsvParrothead** » July 1, 2005 4:36 pm

longlinergirl wrote:Them tourists are CRAZY...

Read about a bumper sticker from South Florida that read:

"If They Call It Tourist Season, Why Cant We Shoot 'Em"

longlinergirl · Post by **longlinergirl** » July 1, 2005 4:37 pm

HsvParrothead wrote:
longlinergirl wrote:Them tourists are CRAZY...
Read about a bumper sticker from South Florida that read:

"If They Call It Tourist Season, Why Cant We Shoot 'Em"

I saw those too....it rocked, I need one for my car!

LIPH · Post by **LIPH** » July 1, 2005 4:37 pm

HsvParrothead wrote:
longlinergirl wrote:Them tourists are CRAZY...
Read about a bumper sticker from South Florida that read:

"If They Call It Tourist Season, Why Cant We Shoot 'Em"

One of my co-workers said if you can prove you either live or work in NYC you should be allowed to carry a cattle prod.

longlinergirl · Post by **longlinergirl** » July 1, 2005 4:39 pm

LIPH wrote:
HsvParrothead wrote:
longlinergirl wrote:Them tourists are CRAZY...
Read about a bumper sticker from South Florida that read:

"If They Call It Tourist Season, Why Cant We Shoot 'Em"
One of my co-workers said if you can prove you either live or work in NYC you should be allowed to carry a cattle prod.

If you lived in FLa you could just carry a gun!!!!!...or maybe a bang stick for protection from all them sharks!

DeactiveCarib · Post by **DeactiveCarib** » July 1, 2005 4:54 pm

sailingagain wrote:They seem a little more curious this year, don't they?

Well, my theory is that this type of stuff happens every year but we just dont hear about it . .you only hear about it when a big story happens, such as the shark attack a few weeks ago, and then the media just rides that wave and continues to cover more shark attacks .. or the media just chooses to cover these things because they are lacking other interesting, scary stories.

I could ask my uncle who works for the environmental department of florida if this is actually a scientific thing or if its just the media. . maybe he could have some insight, his specialty is hydrogeology but he might know, he seems to know a lot about these things

LIPH · Post by **LIPH** » July 1, 2005 4:58 pm

longlinergirl wrote:
LIPH wrote:
HsvParrothead wrote:
longlinergirl wrote:Them tourists are CRAZY...
Read about a bumper sticker from South Florida that read:

"If They Call It Tourist Season, Why Cant We Shoot 'Em"
One of my co-workers said if you can prove you either live or work in NYC you should be allowed to carry a cattle prod.
If you lived in FLa you could just carry a gun!!!!!...or maybe a bang stick for protection from all them sharks!

I didn't mean for protection, it's to get the tourists out of the way. I don't know what it is about NYC that causes people to lose control of their motor skills. Doesn't anyone in the rest of the country know how to walk?

longlinergirl · Post by **longlinergirl** » July 1, 2005 5:01 pm

opps I see...

Man tourists s***. I live in RI now and summer is our tourist season...errrr, like 27 people live in the whole state in the winter and like 27 million in the summer...maybe we need some sharks, or cattle prods

sailingagain · Post by **sailingagain** » July 1, 2005 5:07 pm

Brown Eyed Girl wrote:
sailingagain wrote:They seem a little more curious this year, don't they?
That statement is just begging for a Far Side cartoon.

I can see it now.

PirateJeff · Post by **PirateJeff** » July 1, 2005 5:29 pm

I see the end to the problem. The tourists just gotta think a little and stop acting like bait. If there is one shark attack in the gulf (while I understand there is quite a distance bewteen them) discretion in entering waist deep water or more might be in order. DUH!

Brown Eyed Girl · Post by **Brown Eyed Girl** » July 1, 2005 7:15 pm

HsvParrothead wrote:I think the reason it's getting so much media attention is because the aggressiveness of the shark in last Saturday's attack... then before the dust settled on that one, 48 hours later another one 30 mins down the road... C'mon 3 in 7 days... on the same coastline is a bit "above avg" dontchu think

I'm standing by my original statements from last Saturday regarding the shifts in underwater landscapes and shoreline...

JOHN -- Sweet Line... yes, it does deserve a Far Side toon

I think that the underwater changes do play a big role too...but still wonder if red tides could have some contribution too, given the article that Gulfbreeze posted on the other thread.

LLG, there might have been as many gawking tourists, but maybe not as many of them in the water..or in deeper water...maybe that explains the discrepency in attack numbers. Who knows? There are probably dozens of theories.

The media coverage seems pretty consistent to me. We hear about shark attacks all the time, no matter where in the world they occur. I think it's more dependent on whether the media gets wind of it or not, and since most attacks are bite and release they probably get by the media. It's the more devastating ones you hear about...or anything involving kids.

sonofabeach · Post by **sonofabeach** » July 1, 2005 7:34 pm

I saw somewhere that more people die each year from falling coconuts than shark attacks.
Still that won't stop me from hearing the Jaws theme when I'm out there