Shark bite numbers on trend as in years past; says Florida Program for Shark Research

ORLANDO, Fla. — On Monday, an Ohio man is recovering after a shark bit him in New Smyrna Beach on the Fourth of July.

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A shark bit another person the day after, also in New Smyrna Beach. The victims are two of the four shark bite victims in Volusia County so far this year.

Connor Baker said a shark latched onto his foot as he played football in knee-deep water. First responders raced to the beach near Flagler Avenue to help Baker.

“I saw my foot and I could see, like I could see the bite on my foot,” Baker said. “And I could see blood come out dripping off my foot. That’s when it really hit like, oh, it was legit a bite. I wasn’t just overreacting, I got bit.”

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He was not the only person to be bit in Volusia County waters last week. A shark bit another person in New Smyrna Beach on Friday.

Channel 9 spoke with Dr. Gavin Naylor, the Director of the Florida Program for Shark Research in Gainesville.

“The number of bites we’ve had for middle of July is right on trend, right in the middle,” Dr. Naylor said.

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Dr. Naylor said most of these incidents are because of low water visibility and mistaken identity.

“When they’re chasing bait fish, the bait fish are very close in the water and they see somebody’s foot on a surfboard, or paddling, they see a flash of light skin, and they bite it,” Dr. Naylor said.

He said those bites are a lot less likely than some may think.

“You’re about 200 times less likely to be bitten by a shark than you are to drown in the ocean,” Dr. Naylor said. “Drowning is a much bigger problem. Riptides are a much bigger problem than shark bites.”

One of last week’s shark bite victims did have their bite swabbed by Volusia County Beach Safety Ocean Rescue. That swab will be sent off for testing to help ocean rescue learn what type of shark it was and why it may have bitten that person.

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