Great white bites off the legs of a swimmer in South Africa

Wednesday, a great white bit off the legs of a British man who ignored the warning flag posted on Fish Hoek beach in Cape Town, South Africa (the No.2 most dangerous location for shark attacks in the world).

According to the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI), the 42-year old man was swimming about 50-meters from shore when he was attacked and then rescued by a bystander who pulled him to shore.

The NSRI spokesperson, Craig Lambinon, explained that when the medical team arrived they found that the man's left leg had been bit off just below the knee and the right leg bit off right above the knee.

Check out this amateur video that was shot and uploaded to YouTube showing the great white still lingering in the water just minutes after the victim was air-lifted to the hospital:

To read more on this attack that left the man in critical condition visit msnbc. 

Should Boca Raton Ban Shark Fishing?

Kaley Green, Kayla Repan and I worked together all of Spring semester to develop this investigative story on Boca Raton's effort to ban shark fishing from its' beaches.

Residents and conservationist argue that it is unsafe and detrimental to the species while shark fisherman, like Team Rebel, argue that responsible shark fishing shouldn't be taken away.



Now you can decide for yourself - should Boca Raton ban shark fishing?

Shortfin Mako Shark - One of the World's Fastest Sharks

The shortfin mako shark is one of the world’s fastest sharks reaching speeds of up to 20 mph, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History. The shortfin mako is also known for being able to skillfully leap out of water.

Although preferring warm waters,this extremely fast shark can be found worldwide. The shortfin mako tends to stay in tropical, temperate waters and is most commonly spotted off the shore waters of Cape Cod and Cape Hatteras.

Description:

• Blunt snout
• Large black eyes
• Metallic blue in color with white bellies
• Average adult size is 10 ft
• Females are larger than males
• Teeth are visible while mouth is closed
• Short pectoral fins

Diet:

• Feed on fast-moving pelagic fishes such as, swordfish and tuna
• Sometimes feed on other smaller sharks, porpoises and sea turtles

Top 5 Smallest Sharks According to the Discovery Channel

Most people think of sharks as passive dangerous creatures that roam the sea. But, surprisingly, there are several sharks that don’t even measure a foot long. 

The Pale Catshark

The Discovery Channel lists the top 5 smallest sharks:

5. African Lanternshark – 9.4 inches

4. Shorttail Lanternshark – 9.4 inches

3. Green Lanternshark – 9 inches

2. Panama Ghost Catshark – 9 inches

1. Pale Catshark – 8.27 inches  

CNN's Lisa Ling discusses Shark Finning

In 2008 Anderson Cooper spoke with CNN's special corespondent, Lisa Ling, about the practice of shark finning. 

Shark Night 3D Premiers September 2nd

Relativity Media’s  upcoming Shark Night 3D is directed by David R. Ellis and stars some of Hollywood’s youngest stars, such as, Sarah Paxton, Dustin Milligan, Chris Carmack and Joel David Moore.

First Image Released of Shark Night 3D

The premise of the film is about seven men and women who spend a weekend at a lake house in the Louisiana Gulf. Their ideal vacation quickly turns into a nightmare when they encounter sharks in their freshwater lake.

Shark Night 3D is scheduled to hit 3D theaters on September 2^nd.

Two Fun and Easy Shark Games for a Shark Party

1. Shark Attack Game:

Supplies:

·         Permanent marker

·         White Balloon

·         Music

 How to play:

·         Draw a Shark Face on the balloo

·         Have players stand in a circle while music plays

·         Have players tap the shark face balloon back and forth while the music plays, the objective is to keep the balloon away from you

·          Randomly stop the music while the players are tossing the balloon

·          Whoever is touching the shark balloon when the music stops is out

·          The last player standing wins.

2. Feed the Sharks:

Supplies:

·         Shark stuffed animal

·         Laundry basket

·         Ping pong balls

How to play:

·         Place shark stuffed animal inside laundry basket

·         Give each player 5-10 ping pong balls to represent the “shark food”

·         Have players stand several feet away from the basket as they toss the ping pong balls into the basket to “feed” the shark

·         Determine which player tossed the most ping pong balls into the basket within 30 seconds

·         The player that tossed the most in wins.

A Shark Attack Couldn't Stop Bethany Hamilton from Fulfilling her Dreams

Bethany Meilani Hamilton was born into a family of surfers on February 8, 1990. With two older brothers and parents who had a passion for surfing, Bethany was destine to follow suit.

Born and raised on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, Bethany took to the water at a young age. She entered her first surf competition at eight years old where she took home the win for both the long and short board divisions.

Bethany continued to enter competitions, such as, the 1999 Haleiwa Menehune Championships and the Volcom Puffer Fish contest, where she continuously brought home the win. Bethany became a well-known up and coming pro surfer at a tender age.  She instantly had a passion for surfing and completion just as her family of surfers did. At such a young age, Bethany already knew what she wanted to be when she “grew up;” Bethany wanted to be a pro surfer and she had the natural talent to make her dreams a reality.

On Halloween morning, 2003, Hamilton went for a morning surfer off Kauai’s North Shore around 7:30 a.m. with her good friend Alana Blanchard and Blanchard’s dad. That morning, the water was calm and Bethany lounged on her surfer board with her left arm in the water while waiting for a wave to come.  Within seconds the 13 year-old was attacked by a 14-foot tiger shark, biting off her left arm just below the shoulder.

Hamilton’s friends paddled her back to shore where they used a surfboard leash as a tourniquet to wrap around what was left of her arm. Bethany was rushed to Wilcox Memorial Hospital where she spent seven days in recovery after losing 60% of her blood.

Despite the tragic incident, Bethany was determined to not let her it stop her from fulfilling her dreams of becoming a pro-surfer.  Only one month after the attack, Hamilton returned to the water.  Just over a year after being hospitalized, she returned to her passion of surfing competitively and placed 5^th in the Open Women’s division and soon after won her first National Title by 1^st place in the Explorer Women’s division of the 2005 NSSA National Championships.   

Hamilton continues to be an inspiration for many, leading led her to write a book and most recently, having a movie written about her.  

Soul Surfer in theaters now

Soul Surfer is the inspiring true story of Bethany Hamilton, a teen surfer who lost her arm in a shark attack.

Bethany Hamilton had a natural talent for surfing and at young age had already participated in numerous national surf competitions. Halloween morning 2003, Bethany’s world changed and her dreams of being a pro surfer appeared to have been shattered. While surfing that morning, a 14-foot tiger shark came out of nowhere and bit off her arm.

Soul Surfer tells the amazing story of Hamilton’s determination and unwillingness to let her shark attack stop her from fulfilling her dreams.

Cast includes:

• AnnaSophia Robb as Bethany Hamilton
• Helen Hunt as Cheri Hamilton (Mom)
• Dennis Quaid as Tom Hamilton (Dad)
• Lorraine Nicholson as Alana Blachard
• Carrie Underwood as Sarah Hill

South Florida's Most Common Sharks

The University of Florida IFAS Extension advises beach-goers to be aware of some of Florida’s most common sharks that can cause great damage with a single bite.

• Blacktip Shark – most common in clear-waters along Florida and Bahama beaches.

• Spinner Shark – often seen leaping out of coastal waters.

• Sandbar Shark – often found nearshore at depths of 60 to 200 feet. It is brown or gray with a white belly.

• Blacknose Shark – found in Florida bays and lagoon feeding on small fishes. It os a pale olive-gray on top and whitish below.

• Nurse Shark – sometimes found hiding under ledges and wreck but most commonly seen at the oceans bottom.

Diving with Sharks at The Florida Aquarium

 The Florida Aquarium offers an unforgettable shark diving experience for only $150 per person.

“Dive with the Sharks” allows for certified SCUBA divers, as young as 15, to come into one-on-one contact with sharks, stingrays and other saltwater species living in their 93,000-gallon saltwater exhibit.

The experience is about 90 minutes long with all equipment provided. The $150 fee includes admission for the diver, a shark diver hat, and photograph of the diver while underwater.

All you need to bring is a small bag filled with a mask, bathing suite, towel and your diver certification card. 

Basking Sharks, Not as Dangerous as They Appear

At first glance, the Basking Shark looks terrifying and dangerous. Although the Basking shark is the second largest fish in the sea after the Whale Shark, it is not as threatening as it appears feeding only on plankton.

According to the Florida Museum of Natural History Ichthyology Department, the currently accepted scientific name of the Basking Shark is Cetorhinus maximus. The name is derived from the Greek, “ketos” meaning marine monster/ whale and “rhinos” meaning nose. The maximus part of the name is derived from Latin meaning “great.”

Basking Sharks, like most other sharks, were previously heavily hunted for their oil, meat, vitamin rich livers, and of course, for their fins. Although there are now many conservation efforts in place to protect these sharks, according to The Basking Shark Project, Basking Sharks are slow to mature and grow which has kept them listed as vulnerable on the IUCN’s Red List.  

Location/Habitat:

·         Found in cold to warm temperate waters because they are a coastal-pelagic species.

·         A recent study, according to The Basking Shark Project, has shown these sharks to have a trans-atlantic and trans-equatorial migration

·         Found feeding/swimming at or below the water surface because they are pelagic sharks.

·         Can be seen traveling in pairs or in large schools of up to 100 or more.

·         In the spring the Basking Shark is found off the Atlantic coast of North America (North Caroline to New York)

·         In the summer these sharks head north and are found in New England and Canada.

·         During the winter months the Basking Shark cannot be found suggesting that they migrate beyond the continental shelf

Description:

  ·         Average adult length is around 22-29 feet

  ·         Average length at birth is between 5-6 feet

  ·         Typically gray-ish brown but can also range from dark gray to black

  ·         Extended gill slits that almost encircle the head of the shark

  ·         Extremely large mouth that contains hundreds of tiny teeth

Eating Habits:

·         One of only three filter feeding shark

·         Swims through water with its mouth open taking in food and water

·         Food is strained from the water by gill rakers

·         Capable of filtering over 1800 tons of water per hour

·         Feed in areas that contain a high density of zooplankton

Kayaker Josh Reeves dives into the Gulf to take a closer look at the rarely spotted Basking Shark

According to News13 in Panama City, FL, on March 17, Reeves and other beach go-ers spotted the massive Basking Shark swimming along the Bay County pier. 

Employees at Gulf World explain that this type of shark has never been seen in Gulf waters before. The Basking Shark is the second largest species of fish, the first being the Whale Shark.

Upon spotting the shark, Reeves, who works with a shark tour service in Panama City Beach, decided to kayak out to the shark and then took it a step father when he jumped into the ocean and swam alongside the estimated 25-foot long shark.

Top 5 Worst Shark Films according to Listverse

Listverse not only created a list of the top 5 best shark films, they also created a liste of the top 5 worst shark films in various categories.



5.Worst Special Effects:
Jaws 3-D




4.Worst Plot:

Raging Sharks





3.Worst Shark Sequel:

Jaws 4: The Revenge

 


2. Least Likely to Happen:

Mega Shark versus Giant Octopus




1. Worst:

Shark Attack 3 – Megalodon





Decoding Beach Safety Flags

Volusia County, along with every other county in Florida, has adopted the beach warning flag program from the International Lifesaving Federation. The warning flags use color to inform beach-goers of current water conditions.

Top 5 Best Shark Films according to Listverse

Listverse, a site designed to intrigue and educate, designed a list of the top 5 best shark movies in various categories.

5. Best Special Effects

        Deep Blue Sea

4. Best Plot

     12 Days of Terror

3. Best Shark Sequel 

 Jaws 2

2.  Most Likely to Happen
Open Water

1. Greatest
Jaws

South Florida Student Shark Program

The South Florida Student Shark Program was developed in 2006 in partnership with University of Miami Rosenstiel School, the NOAA LMRCSC & the Herbert W. Hoover Foundation.

The program was developed to help support the career development of graduate, undergraduate and high school students’ interest in natural science.

SFSSP also aims at encouraging students to take an active role in the conservation of coastal Florida shark species, mangrove fish habitat and the Florida watershed.

The South Florida Student Shark Program has seven main objectives:

1. Provide practical, hands-on marine science education and self initiated research project opportunities for high school, undergraduate and graduate students in the marine science field.
2. Develop students’ marine science skills
3. Provide educational and training opportunities for underrepresented students.
4. Conduct research in the subject areas of biology, genetics, chemistry, navigation, engineering and information technology
5. Aid in the monitoring of biological and environmental conditions of Floridian marine ecosystems.
6. Play an active role in creating, conducting and disseminating the program through service learning interaction
7. Eliminate general misconceptions about sharks and the Florida watershed

Swim Alongside the Whale Shark

Get the chance to swim alongside the world’s largest fish just off the coast of Mexico. 

Ceviche Tours guarantees that every guest gets the chance to dive into the water and swim with Whale Sharks during the Isla Mujeres Whale Shark Festival in Isla Mujeres, Mexico.

All participants will have the option to swim with a shark or can opt to stay on board and observe while taking pictures. Guest can either bring their own snorkel gear or use the ones provided on the boat. Snacks and drinks are also provided by the staff.

Boats hold a maximum of 10 guest and cost $125 per person. 

Tips in Avoiding a Shark Attack

“The Kids’ How to Do (Almost) Everything Guide” by George Burgess gives 13 useful tips in how to decrease your chance of being attacked by a shark.

1. Sharks tend to attack individuals who are swimming alone so always swim in a group.
2. Stay close to shore.
3. Sharks are most active at night, dawn and dusk. So, avoid the water during those times.
4.  Sharks are able to smell and taste blood. If you are bleeding do not go in the water.
5. Avoid wearing shiny jewelry because sharks can mistake the reflected light as fish scales.
6. Bait fish are attracted to sewage and sharks are attracted to bait fish. So, if there is sewage in the water don’t go in.
7. Don’t go in waters being fished and waters that have an abundant amount of bait fish.
8. Sharks are commonly spotted along beaches but to avoid the chance of being bit, don’t enter the water if sharks are present.
9. Avoid wearing brightly colored bathing suites because sharks see contrast well.
10. Avoid an unnecessary amount of splashing.
11. Sharks like to linger around sandbars and drop-offs so, be extra cautious when in those areas.
12. Because propoises are around, the absence of sharks is not definite.  Don’t let your guard down just because porpoises are nearby.
13. Of course, if you spot a shark don’t try to touch it.

5 Most Dangerous Locations for Shark Attacks

5. Queensland, Australia

            Australia is the home to 166 shark species. Although you could run into these sharks anywhere in the country, the eastern coast of Australia is the most densely populated. Of the 57 shark attack fatalities in Australia from 1957 to present, Queensland accounts for 22 of them. Since 1700, Queensland has had 103 shark attacks and 38 of them were fatal.

            In Queensland effort to protect beach goers, they have setup protective netting in the some of their beaches. The nets are designed to stop the larger sharks (6.6 ft and up) from coming close to shore where swimmers are present.

            In 2005, 630 sharks were caught in the netting and 298 of those sharks were larger than 6.6 feet. One of the sharks caught and stopped from coming close to shore was a 17-foot tiger shark.

4. Hawaii

            Nearly half of Hawaii’s 113 shark attacks since 1882 have occurred off the coats of Oahu and Maui. The island of Oahu has had 34 attacks and six fatalities while the island of Maui has had 36 attacks and three fatalities.

            Maui and Oahu aren’t the only dangerous islands. Kauai has had 19 shark attacks and the big island of Hawaii has had 12.

            Hawaii is the home to approximately 40 shark species, one of those being the dangerous tiger shark. Hawaii’s effort in dealing with the danger of sharks is mixed throughout the island. In 1959 the island had a decade-long shark eradication program sponsored by the government but, some of the natives are extremely supportive of having the sharks around calling the tiger shark their “guardian spirit.”

           

3. New South Wales, Australia

            Since 1700, according to the International Shark Attack File, New South Wales has had 140 shark attacks and 61 fatalities.

            As of 2006, 84 beaches in Australia were protected by the nets initially installed in the Queensland. The netting has caused a dramatic dip in the number of shark attacks as well as the number of sharks present near swimmers.  

2. South Africa

            In the past 100 years, South Africa has seen 214 shark attacks and 42 fatalities.

            Because South Africa was one the first countries to protect great white sharks, their population has increased in South Africa. Great whites aren’t the only sharks found swimming the waters of South Africa; Mako, ragged tooth, tiger sharks, hammerheads, bull and blacktip sharks are also very abundant.

            Dyer Island, near Capetown, is known as “Shark Alley” because of abundance of species of sharks in the water, especially great white sharks.

1. Volusia Country, Florida

            The No.1 most dangerous location for shark attacks is right here in Florida!

            Although South Africa has had more shark attacks and fatalities than Volusia County, Volusia County is considered the most dangerous location because the 210 attacks since 1882 occurred just off the coastline. South Africa’s attacks occurred over 2,798 miles off the coastline.

            At New Smyrna Beach, located in Volusia County, there are more shark encounters per square mile than any other beach in the world. New Smyrna Beach is known as the “Shark Attack Capital of the World” because if you have ever gone swimming in the water you have most likely been within 10 feet of a shark.

            The reason for the high number of attacks is simply the high number of people swimming in the waters of this country. Volusia County attracts fisherman and surfers from all over because the county has some of the most popular beaches in surfing.

Shoppin' for Shark Lovers

The American Elasmobranch Society has made shopping for shark lovers easier.

“The American Elasmobranch Society is a non-profit organization that seeks to advance the scientific study of living and fossil sharks, skates, rays, and chimaeras, and the promotion of education, conservation, and wise utilization of natural resources.”

The AES has added four new fun and inexpensive items to their online store which already included calendars, books, T-shirts, and stationery.




1.      Mini Shark Cookie Cutter

Measure 3” long

 


2.      25 oz AES Aluminum Water Bottle

 


3.      Limited Edition Blown Glass Shark Ornament

Measures 3.75” long and 2” high.

   



4.      Limited Edition Shark Fin Ice Cube Tray