Posted on Sun, Jun. 02, 2002
Shark attacks teen in the Gulf
St. George tourist out of the hospital
By Jeff Burlew
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER

A 16-year-old boy underwent three hours of surgery on his left foot after a shark attacked him Friday afternoon in Gulf waters off St. George Island.

Chief Jay Abbott of St. George Island Fire and Rescue said it was the first known shark attack ever on the island. Abbott declined to release the name of the boy, who was flown by helicopter to Bay Medical Center in Panama City and released Saturday.

"He's recovering well," said Abbott, who was among the first emergency workers to respond to the attack.

The boy and his younger brother, vacationing with their family from Birmingham, Ala., were a couple of hundred feet from shore near the first sandbar off St. George Plantation, a gated community on the west end of the island.

"He was out in the water with his younger brother, just swimming around," Abbott said.

The shark, thought to be about 3 feet long, bit the boy on his foot between his ankle and toes. Abbott described the wound as an extremely deep gash.

The boy and his brother managed to get to shore, where emergency workers administered first aid and treated him for shock.

People were reportedly fishing and feeding gulls near the swimmers at the time of the attack, Abbott said. He cautioned people from swimming in Gulf waters near those who are fishing or trying to attract wildlife.

Officials did not close any beaches or post warning signs.

"It's not necessary to go that route," said Abbott, who has lived on the island 19 years. "It's just a freak thing. It's their territory, not ours."

Last year, there were 76 unprovoked shark attacks in the United States, according to the International Shark Attack File, located at the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville.

Of those attacks, 37 occurred in Florida. Three attacks, in Florida, North Carolina and Virginia, were fatal.

Contact reporter Jeff Burlew at (850) 599-2180 or jburlew@taldem.com.