New shark attack in Cape San Blas, Florida

[jax]

I trust a lifeguards opinion as far as I can thow him...
whatever...

[bfez1]

I trust a lifeguards opinion as far as I can thow him...
whatever...

Lifeguards put their own lives in danger to save others each yr.
To bad you have such a low opinion of them. Hope you never need one.

[Josephine96]

Doctors Amputate Leg Of Boy Bitten By Shark

POSTED: 2:24 pm EDT June 27, 2005
UPDATED: 5:27 pm EDT June 27, 2005

DESTIN, Fla. -- Doctors amputated a leg of a teenage boy who was attacked by a shark while fishing in waist-deep water off Florida's Panhandle on Monday, two days after a 14-year-old girl died when a shark mutilated her leg at another Panhandle beach, 80 miles away.


The 16-year-old boy from Tennessee, whose name wasn't immediately released, was fishing in the surf off Cape San Blas with two friends when the shark grabbed him in the right thigh, nearly severing his leg. Rescue workers rush him to a hospital.





Craig Adam Hutto, 16, of Lebanon, Tenn., was fishing in the surf off Cape San Blas with his brother and a friend when the shark grabbed him in the right thigh, nearly severing the, said Capt. Bobby Plair of the Gulf County Sheriff's Office.


The leg was later amputated at Bay Medical Center in Panama City, Plair said.

He was listed in critical condition but he was expected to recover, hospital spokeswoman Christa Hild said.

Cape San Blas is a narrow spit of land protruding into the Gulf of Mexico from Gulf County, about 80 miles southwest of Tallahassee.

Plair said Gulf County has no lifeguards on any of its beaches.

The cape, a popular vacation destination, is also about 80 miles east of the area where 14-year-old Jamie Marie Daigle was fatally injured Saturday by a shark.








Gulf County Board of County Commissioners issued a mandatory closure for beaches in the county until 11 a.m. Tuesday.







Florida averaged more than 30 shark attacks a year from 2000 to 2003, but there were only 12 attacks off the state's coast last year, according to statistics compiled by the American Elasmobranch Society and the Florida Museum of Natural History.

George Burgess, curator of the International Shark Attack File at University of Florida, said Sunday that bull sharks are common in the area, are aggressive and can be found in shallow water. He said that of 500 documented attacks in Florida, the fatality rate was 2.4 percent.

"Sharks are one of many hazards that one may encounter when entering the sea," he said. "There is no reason to think that this is the beginning of a trend."

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.


Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[southerngale]

Too bad he lost his leg but thank God he lived!

[Terry]

Yikes, how very, very sad.

btw - I don't know the true story about how this boy was fishing. But, I never carry my catch on a stringer on my belt when wading and I can't tell you the last time I saw someone doing that. That is about as stupid as the people who spear fish and don't immediately bring it to the surface.

Too often I do see people swimming where people shark fish. Go figure.

Stay safe this summer!

[feederband]

Yikes, how very, very sad.

btw - I don't know the true story about how this boy was fishing. But, I never carry my catch on a stringer on my belt when wading and I can't tell you the last time I saw someone doing that. That is about as stupid as the people who spear fish and don't immediately bring it to the surface.

Too often I do see people swimming where people shark fish. Go figure.

Stay safe this summer!

I know it may be stupid to keep catch on stringer. But if you run into a good school it is the eastiest way.. And I do know people that do this...

[drudd1]

I trust a lifeguards opinion as far as I can thow him...
whatever...

If you are ever swimming at the beach and need help, at least you can rest assured that the lifeguard will swim farther than you can throw him to save you. Of course, after he hears your opinion of him, he would be justified to throw you back

[Brent]

I trust a lifeguards opinion as far as I can thow him...
whatever...

Be sure to tell one that when they have to come rescue you for whatever reason.

He/she was right BTW... shark attacks are EXTREMELY rare. Only 30 on average occurred in 2000-2003 in Florida, THIRTY out of MILLIONS of tourists who go to the beach every year. You've got a much better chance of being killed in the car on the way to the beach.

[CajunMama]

Just out of curiosity, would the sharks be closer to the beaches because of the warm temps of the gulf?

[Lindaloo]

They come in closer during the summer months for food and to mate.

[Terry]

And as I watched the sunset on the central FL GOM tonite, I was amazed to see a fisherman standing at shoulder water depth. Sheesh. Ya just don't go wading, swimming, fishing surfing, etc. at sunrise or sunset. That is when the fish are feeding.

[JenBayles]

And as I watched the sunset on the central FL GOM tonite, I was amazed to see a fisherman standing at shoulder water depth. Sheesh. Ya just don't go wading, swimming, fishing surfing, etc. at sunrise or sunset. That is when the fish are feeding.

That's EXACTLY when you go fishing because the fish are feeding.


Been there, done that, will probably do it again.

[jax]

I trust a lifeguards opinion as far as I can thow him...
whatever...

If you are ever swimming at the beach and need help, at least you can rest assured that the lifeguard will swim farther than you can throw him to save you. Of course, after he hears your opinion of him, he would be justified to throw you back

\

I was implying that the life guards in Pensacola don't know any more
about sharks... where they are... what they do... thay you or I.

I don't know if you've spent muke time on the beach... but the lifeguards
I've met are mostly wanna-be's... (here on the gulf coast).

I have saved 3 lives in the open water...

Guess who brought that poor little girl to the beach... the one that died...
It was a surfer... while his surfer buddy paddled next to him kicking the
shark on the nose... lifeguard was working on his tan...

The only lifeguards i have ever met that are heros of mine are on the
North Shore od Hawaii.... Pensacola lifeguards are a joke...

[drudd1]

I trust a lifeguards opinion as far as I can thow him...
whatever...

If you are ever swimming at the beach and need help, at least you can rest assured that the lifeguard will swim farther than you can throw him to save you. Of course, after he hears your opinion of him, he would be justified to throw you back

\

I was implying that the lifeguards in Pensacola don't know any more
about sharks... where they are... what they do... thay you or I.

I don't know if you've spent muke time on the beach... but the lifeguards
I've met are mostly wanna-be's... (here on the gulf coast).

I have saved 3 lives in the open water...

Guess who brought that poor little girl to the beach... the one that died...
It was a surfer... while his surfer buddy paddled next to him kicking the
shark on the nose... lifeguard was working on his tan...

The only lifeguards i have ever met that are heros of mine are on the
North Shore od Hawaii.... Pensacola lifeguards are a joke...

To imply that the lifeguards know no more about sharks than you or I is silly. Portions of the certification classes are dedicated to that very subject. Of this, I have first hand knowledge. In addition, unless you personally have given them a written exam, you have no idea what they know or don't know about sharks, water safety, or anything for that matter.

I practically lived on the beach growing up, so I am well aware of what life guards are like, etc. I could care less if they are tall, short, slim, fat, say "Like Dude", in every other sentence, or have no idea what they may "wanna be." As long as they get the job done when the time comes, anything else is irrelevant.

Neither you nor I were at the beach when the attack occurred. The surfer made the save, but we have no idea where the lifeguard was in relation to the attack, etc. Without knowing the facts, it is a bit naive to draw any conclusions. “He was working on his tan”, please; you don't have the foggiest idea what he was doing. The internet is loaded with articles about not having enough lifeguards to cover the beaches in Pensacola or the county for that matter. Spreading what few lifeguards there are over too wide of an area will definitely make it difficult for any lifeguard to be in the right place at the right time. That, by the way is not their fault.

I will have to agree with you that the lifeguards in Hawaii are darn good. It should also be noted that they for the most part use jet skis for rescues. Maybe that is something that should be considered by Pensacola. It would sure give the lifeguards the ability to respond faster from a greater distance.

Sorry if I sound a bit cranky, but it's rationalizations like yours that drives me crazy. You have based your entire opinion of all lifeguards on those few you have met.

I have met a few people that couldn't spell worth a hoot, that were also complete idiots. Now if I use your logic, then I must also assume that you are one too based on the spelling I see in your post. Of course we know that would be unfair and ridiculous, as is your opinion of all lifeguards based on interaction with a few.

This was a very informative thread, keeping folks abreast of the situation and you had to bash the lifeguards. Next time, if you want to trash a whole class of folks, whether it is lifeguards, firemen, police, etc., have some facts to back it up. I for one salute anyone that is willing to put his or her lives on the line for the safety of you and me.

[jax]

whatever... if you're lucky... i'll be around to save you
if you're drowning...

[Skywatch_NC]

whatever... if you're lucky... i'll be around to save you
if you're drowning...

The heck is up with you jax

[GalvestonDuck]

whatever... if you're lucky... i'll be around to save you
if you're drowning...

The heck is up with you jax

Ditto that. Jax, did you have a bad experience with one particular lifeguard or something? Was it something personal that had little to do with his lifesaving abilities and more to do with something else? There are rotten apples in every barrel. Just because one may have been a problem for you does not mean the rest are that way.

[jax]

i have saved 3 lives in open water... 2 times there
was no lifeguard in the area... the third time the
lifeguard was waiting for us on the beach...

on another occasion... a guy went under in a bayou
near the beach... I ran down the dock dove in and
searched for him... lifeguard followed me and after
about 20 minutes of searching... he had to go back...
I searched for another hour untill the coast guard got
there... coast guard divers jumped in and we found him.

I have witnessed 3 drownings... and saved 3 lives... I
know what i'm talking about... I have had to swim for
my life many many times... with no help from a lifeguard.

maybe you don't know what you're talking about...

[CajunMama]

Jax, I believe it was your lumping of "ALL" lifeguards being lousy (outside of Hawaii) that irritated the others. But until you've been in those lifeguards shoes or should I say flippers and watching 100's of people on the beach you shouldn't denounce all lifeguards. And possibly the surfers were closer to the young man than the lifeguard was and they were able to get to him faster. I don't know and you don't know...neither of us were there.

[fwbbreeze]

i have saved 3 lives in open water... 2 times there
was no lifeguard in the area... the third time the
lifeguard was waiting for us on the beach...

on another occasion... a guy went under in a bayou
near the beach... I ran down the dock dove in and
searched for him... lifeguard followed me and after
about 20 minutes of searching... he had to go back...
I searched for another hour untill the coast guard got
there... coast guard divers jumped in and we found him.

I have witnessed 3 drownings... and saved 3 lives... I
know what i'm talking about... I have had to swim for
my life many many times... with no help from a lifeguard.

maybe you don't know what you're talking about...

Jax,
Sorry but you are out of line here...If you have had a bad experience with a lifeguard it is unfortunate. Having grown up on the beach with many friends as lifeguards and a first cousin I can assure you they know more than you are giving them credit for. Some are more knowledgable than others and yes some even do their job better than others but DO NOT lump them all together in a group. The people I have known as lifeguards took pride in their work and in saving lives and let me assure all of them have saved a tremendous number of lives.......more than 3 for sure!!


fwbbreeze