The species of shark involved in the attack is unknown at this time. Photo: Unsplash
A Florida man has been bitten by a shark in the “Shark Attack Capital of the World.” The Winter Park man was surfing in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, a location that has earned a reputation for the sheer number of shark attacks in its waters.
As Volusia County Beach Safety told NBC affiliate WESH 2, the 40-year-old man was bitten around 3 p.m. on Sunday, then subsequently transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
“That’s what you see online, but you don’t expect to see it in person,” Makenna Greenland, a beachgoer who witnessed the bite, told Fox 35 Orlando. “It was quite the sight to see. They worked quickly, got him bandaged up, got him on the ambulance. Hopefully he’s doing well.”
Over the years, New Smyrna Beach has become infamous for the sheer number of shark attacks that occur in its waters, even earning the dubious moniker of the shark attack capital. The International Shark Attack File, a comprehensive database of all known shark attacks, says the Volusia county beach has been the site of 359 attacks since 1882.
