Two beachgoers suffer shark attacks within hours of each other on the same South Carolina beach — including a woman biting her arm while in deep water with her grandson.
Sharks attacked two people on the same day in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Pittsburgh grandmother suffered a 'bad bite' on her arm in deep water
Details were scattered about the other attack, the third in two months on the same beach
Shark attacks are on the rise this year, but the chances of getting bitten are still meager
Two people were attacked by sharks within hours of each other on a South Carolina beach on Monday, with one grandmother receiving a "bad bite" on her arm.
When the shark struck, Karen Sites of Pittsburgh was vacationing with her family in Myrtle Beach on August 15.
She was standing in the water waist-deep with her grandson, eight-year-old Brian, who was enjoying his first full vacation day.
I felt something, I think, bit me, and a shark was on my arm. I was just in deep water. I kept pushing it to remove it from my arm, and it did," she told WPDE Sites.
The horrified grandson witnessed the attack from a few meters away but said he did not see the shark coming.
I couldn't even see the shark coming, but all I saw was that the shark jumped up and didn't bite all the way; I also saw the movement of the tail going to the side, and then it just screamed a little bit, and as soon as I touched it, it fell into the water," the young man explained.
"As soon as he touched it, it fell into the water."
When the shark struck, Karen Sites of Pittsburgh was vacationing in Myrtle Beach with her family last Monday, August 15.
She was standing in the water waist-deep with her grandson, Brian, 8, who was enjoying his first full vacation day. 'I felt something, I think,' she said, 'biting me, and there was a shark on my arm. I was just in deep water. I kept pushing her to take her out of my arms, and she did."
Myrtle Beach in South Carolina has seen three shark attacks in just two months this summer.
The sites were taken to a local hospital, where she received hundreds of stitches to close the nasty wound.
It's a shark bite based on the shape of the wound, said Daniel Abel, professor of marine sciences at Coastal Carolina University.
It's a shark bite when you look at the arch of the teeth marks and the damage done.
"My sympathy is with the victim; this is appalling," he added.
Staff Sgt. Kevin Lark of the Myrtle Beach Police Department said there was a second attack later that day, although no details were immediately available.
He said one of the victims suffered a "bad bite" to the forearm during Monday's ordeal.
Abel warns swimmers to be careful at this time of year when sharks come close to shore to feed.
"Don't swim at dawn and dusk; there aren't many people in the water then, and some sharks are nearby and feeding," he said.
Do not swim where there are groups of small fish outside. Do not swim near where people are fishing near the docks.
There was another shark attack near Myrtle Beach on June 21 at a private family campground.
This brings the total shark attacks in South Carolina to four so far last year and is on an upward trend. Only one shark attack was recorded in 2021.
Earlier this month, on Long Island, about 80 miles from New York, a 7-8-foot-long shark washed ashore off the small village of Quogue. Experts warn against swimming at dawn or dusk when sharks are most active.
As of yesterday, 61 shark attacks bit globally in 2022, ten provocative and six fatal.
Thirty-four in the US (Hawaii 0, Florida 19, California 1, New York 6, South Carolina 5), 10 in Australia.
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