Man dies in rare fatal shark attack off Fla.

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STUART, Fla. – Sharks are being blamed after a man kite surfing off a Florida beach was surrounded and attacked so badly that he died.

While swimmers and surfers often receive minor bites in Florida waters, officials say fatal shark attacks are extremely rare.

The Martin County Sheriff's Office said a lifeguard first saw the man in distress about 500 yards from shore Wednesday near Stuart, on the Atlantic coast. The lifeguard paddled out and found sharks encircling 38-year-old Stephen Howard Schafer.

The lifeguard put Schafer on his rescue board and paddled back to shore.

Paramedics took Schafer to a hospital, where he later died.

Research scientist Grant Gilmore told The Palm Beach Post the attackers were likely juvenile great white sharks.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100204/ap_on_re_us/us_fatal_shark_attack
 
I saw this on the news this morning and was checking to see if anyone had posted. Thank you.

I thought some time earlier in the week I saw video of numerous sharks close to shore. I thought it was in Florida. Maybe I'm mistaken. Either way this is horribly sad. God bless the life guard that tried to save him.
 
I saw this on the news this morning and was checking to see if anyone had posted. Thank you.

I thought some time earlier in the week I saw video of numerous sharks close to shore. I thought it was in Florida. Maybe I'm mistaken. Either way this is horribly sad. God bless the life guard that tried to save him.

That lifeguard was in some serious danger dragging a bleeding man among sharks that were likely in a feeding frenzy if they were swarming or circling around him. It's a miracle he wasn't attacked as well!
 
holy cow! Did you see the footage of how many sharks there were earlier in the week. That is scary!
 
legalmania, sometimes even staying close to shore isn't safe. There was a case several years ago where a 10 year old boy was close to shore in Sandbridge (Virginia Beach VA). A bull shark attacked him, biting his leg. Before his dad could get him and bring him to shore it was too late.

I never go out past my ankles.
 
legalmania, sometimes even staying close to shore isn't safe. There was a case several years ago where a 10 year old boy was close to shore in Sandbridge (Virginia Beach VA). A bull shark attacked him, biting his leg. Before his dad could get him and bring him to shore it was too late.

I never go out past my ankles.

Bull sharks will get you anywhere, they even swim in fresh water. Many consider them far more dangerous than even great whites, and more aggressive.
 
legalmania, sometimes even staying close to shore isn't safe. There was a case several years ago where a 10 year old boy was close to shore in Sandbridge (Virginia Beach VA). A bull shark attacked him, biting his leg. Before his dad could get him and bring him to shore it was too late.

I never go out past my ankles.

Thanks lizzybeth, I lived in the Sunshine state most of my life. When I was a kid we were told that sharks only stayed in the dark blue water. So we would swim out to the point right before it got dark blue. One day I was walking out and it was about up to my knees , I stepped on a baby sharks head. I think it was a tiger shark that was about 3 ft. long. I was lucky that I wasn't bit. I was even luckier that the momma didn't get me. I got out so fast it must have been some kind of record. Another time we were fishing about a mile off shore, my friend had a grouper on his pole he almost got it up to the top when his pole doubled over I saw the outline of a shark that was almost as big as the boat we were in, his pole got lighter and when he got it in the boat all that was left was the head of about a 40lb. grouper. I'm like you now if I go in I stay in very shallow water or get wet real quick and get out.
 
Over the past few years it seems we've been hearing about more and more shark attacks. I wonder why they still call them rare?
 
Over the past few years it seems we've been hearing about more and more shark attacks. I wonder why they still call them rare?

Because the number of attacks relative to the sheer number of people in the ocean is such an infinitesimal amount.
 
'Surfing community remembers ‘one of most talented surfers to come out of Stuart’
http://m.pbpost.com/pbpost/db_14164...nt=99&detailindex=9&pn=&ps=&full=true#display

There is a video of Steve Schafer Kiteboarding at the following link
Expert suspects tiger or bull sharks killed kiteboarder

http://www.myphl17.com/fl-shark-attack-stuart-20100204,0,4165368.story
STUART — The death of Stephen H. Schafer is a mystery, the Rev. Kerry Robb told nearly 350 people gathered Tuesday afternoon in St. Mary’s Episcopal Church for the 38-year-old’s memorial service.

http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2010/feb/09/nearly-350-attend-funeral-for-shark-attack/
 

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