‘THE SHARK IS RIGHT BEHIND YOU’
Expert: Lifeguards’ water scooters may have triggered attack
A weekend shark attack at a nude beach in Miami-Dade County may have been provoked by the use of personal watercraft by lifeguards, a shark attack expert said Monday.
The shark, thought to be a bull shark of 4 to 5 feet, was first spotted Sunday afternoon in Sunny Isles Beach, where lifeguards on personal watercraft ordered swimmers out of the water. After swimming south to Haulover Beach, where lifeguards also tried to clear the water, the shark bit one man who was trying to reach land.
The victim was treated for bites on both legs at Aventura Hospital’s emergency roomand released. NBC-6 identified him as Elvin Lanza, 46, of Miami.
Lanza’s sister, Lilian, said the attack was a terrifying experience for her brother.
As swimmers ran from the water at reports of a shark, a lifeguard on a personal watercraft called to him and said, “The shark is right behind you.”
Lanza turned and felt the shark bite down on his leg. He tried to kick it away, and the shark bit his other leg.
After the shark let go, Lanza staggered onto the beach.
Although he didn’t feel up to coming to the door of his Miami house on Monday evening, Lanza is feeling better but still in some pain, his sister said.
George Burgess, director of the International Shark Attack File at the Florida Museum of Natural History, said conversations with people at the scene revealed that Sunny Isles Beach life guards had herded the shark toward Haulover Beach, agitating it and making an attack more likely.
A video showed a Sunny Isles Beach lifeguard driving a personal watercraft behind the shark, which was visible as a shadow in the water.
“One beach safety group essentially chased the shark into another beach safety group’s territory, using Jetskis,” Burgess said. “Itwas in theory to chase the shark away from people, when in fact I think the Jetski chasing the animal probably aggravated the animal and could very well have contributed to the incident, muchlike if you corner adog or a bear or a mountain lion, they’re going to lash out at you.”
But Sunny Isles Police Capt. Mike Grandinetti said that wasn’t the intent. He said lifeguards went out on personal watercraft to get swimmers out of the water only, not to drive the shark away.
“They didn’t herd anything,” he said. “They used the Jetskis to get the swimmers out of the water. They just follow edit. They tried to stay ahead of it to get the swimmers out of the water.”
The attack took place at the “clothing-optional” section of Haulover Beach, an area known as a nude beach for nearly 20 years.
“Even European visitors accustomed to nudity in urban settings marvel at Miami’s Haulover Beach, one of the greatest success stories in North American nudism,” states the American Association for Nude Recreation’s web site. “Haulover attracts thousands of nudists on warm afternoons. They enjoy a white-sand beach, crystal-clearwaters, and full beach amenities – all just a short drive to anywhere in Miami or Fort Lauderdale.”
Shark attacks are extremely rare. But the bull shark, along with the tiger shark and the great white, is among the species considered most dangerous. Although the bull shark in this case was a small one, estimated at 4 to 5 feet, the species can grow to 11 feet and has a reputation for aggression.
Bull sharks have been blamed or suspected in several South Florida attacks, including the fatal attack on a kiteboarder off Stuart in 2010, as well as a non-fatal bite of a spearfisherman last year off Riviera Beach and a 2014 attack on a woman in an inner tube in the Intracoastal Waterway in Fort Lauderdale, who was bitten on the leg.
“The white, tiger and bull sharks are the ‘Big Three’ in the shark attack world because they are large species that are capable of inflicting serious injuries to a victim, are commonly found in areas where humans enter thewater, andhave teeth designed to shear rather than hold,” the International SharkAttack File states.
Worldwide, bull sharks are blamed for at least 27 fatal attacks and 73 non-fatal ones. The true number is likely to be higher, since species identification is often impossible in shark attacks. The numbers also omit attacks considered provoked, such as those involving spearfishing.
There were 81 unprovoked attacks last year, well down from 98 the previous year, according to the International SharkAttack File at theUniversity of Florida.
Florida again led the United States, with 32 attacks, up from 30 in 2015. Volusia County, the state's shark-attack capital, recorded 15 attacks, the largest number.