An 8-year-old boy suffered an injury from a shark bite on Bald Head Island Sunday afternoon, the third attack this season in coastal North Carolina.
The Associated Press reports the boy was swimming in open water when a shark grabbed his leg, biting him multiple times. The boy was taken by ferry to a nearby hospital and is expected to be fine.
Sunday’s encounter is the third shark attack in three weeks along the coast. On June 10, a surfer was bitten by a shark on Ocean Isle and on June 2 a 17-year-old girl had most of her leg amputated after a shark bite at Fort Macon State Park.
There have been no reported shark attacks or bites on the Outer Banks this season.
Last year, North Carolina saw three unprovoked shark attacks total, down from six attacks in 2015, the AP reported.
“We don’t usually have three by June,” International Shark Attack program director Gavin Naylor told the AP. “But you could get none in June next year; you need to look at the overall trends.”
Since 1935, there have been 65 unprovoked shark attacks in North Carolina and 10 along the Outer Banks — eight in Dare County and two in Currituck, according to the International Shark Attack File headed up in Florida. Shark attacks are extremely rare, but the ISAF does offer up tips for reducing your risk here.
