SEACREST, Florida (AP) — Authorities are utilizing boats to patrol the ocean and warning swimmers about sharks this weekend alongside Florida’s Gulf Coast, the place three individuals have been harm in two separate shark assaults on Friday.
The assaults off seashores within the Florida Panhandle led authorities to quickly shut a number of seashores to swimmers on Friday. Seashores have been reopened Saturday, with flags warning of excessive hazards.
In Walton County, the sheriff’s workplace, hearth division and the state’s wildlife company have been working collectively to patrol the water with boats and the shore with autos, the South Walton Fireplace District mentioned in an replace Saturday. Each of Friday’s assaults occurred in Walton County.
“Please swim fastidiously right this moment, respect the Gulf, keep hydrated, and look out on your family members,” the hearth division mentioned on social media.
Pink and purple flags have been getting used Saturday to warn swimmers of the hazards.
“Purple Flags point out the presence of harmful marine life and single purple flags point out excessive hazard situations,” the Bay County Sheriff’s Workplace mentioned in a social media submit on Saturday.
Small fish are touring in colleges close to the shore this time of yr, which could have been a contributing issue within the assaults, the Bay County Sheriff’s Workplace mentioned.
The primary assault occurred Friday afternoon when a girl was bitten by a shark close to WaterSound Seashore, the Walton County Sheriff’s Workplace mentioned. She had essential accidents on her midsection and arm, and a part of her arm needed to be amputated, South Walton Fireplace Chief Ryan Crawford mentioned at a information briefing. She was flown to a trauma heart.
Lower than two hours later, firefighters responded to a different seashore about 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) east of the primary assault “following a number of studies of an adolescent injured by a shark,” the sheriff’s workplace mentioned.
Two teenage ladies have been in waist-deep water with a gaggle of associates once they have been attacked, the South Walton Fireplace District mentioned.
“When lifeguards and deputies arrived on scene, they discovered one of many females had vital accidents to the higher leg and one hand,” hearth officers mentioned in an replace. She was flown to a trauma heart. The opposite teen had what officers described as minor accidents on one in every of her toes.
“For 2 of those incidents to occur on the identical day is very uncommon,” Crawford mentioned.
The time of the assaults — in the midst of the afternoon — was additionally an anomaly, Walton County Sheriff Michael Adkinson mentioned. He famous that sheriff’s officers usually warn individuals to pay attention to sharks early within the morning and at nightfall, their typical feeding occasions.
Additionally Friday, in Hawaii, a girl was significantly injured in an obvious shark assault within the waters off the island of Oahu, officers mentioned.
Shark assaults are uncommon, in line with specialists.
There have been 69 unprovoked bites final yr worldwide, and 10 of these have been deadly, in line with the College of Florida’s Worldwide Shark Assault File. That was larger than the latest common of six deaths per yr.