TWO shark attacks have been reported off the US coast within 24 hours, bringing the total number of maulings this year to at least 26.
Several great whites were spotted off the coast of Massachusetts and New York this weekend, forcing beaches to be temporarily closed.
Tasa Summers, 40, was bitten in the leg while in the water off Daytona Beach in Florida on July 16, WKMG reported.
Summers, of Ohio, was with her boyfriend when the attack happened.
She told WESH2 that she didn’t see anything in the water until the shark attacked.
She was taken to the hospital for treatment but her injuries aren’t thought to be life-threatening.
And, an angler in Florida's Lower Keys was bitten while trying to remove a hook from a shark’s mouth on July 17, according to the Miami Herald.
Witnesses claimed he was attacked by a six-foot-long lemon shark.
Jason Rafter, a spokesperson for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, said the fisherman got too close to the beast’s mouth after reeling it in.
Most read in The Sun
ISLAND SUPPORT 
Jacquesreveals which former Love Islanders have reached out to him
Love Island's Jacques O'Neill reveals he knew one Islander BEFORE show
I left Real Madrid and ended up playing in Russia drinking vodka on team bus
Mum-of-two mauled to death by XL bully dog that ‘turned mad and snapped’
At least ten great whites were detected off the coast of Cape Cod between July 16 and July 17, according to the app Sharktivity.
Don Clavin, a Hempstead Town supervisor, told CNN that a lifeguard spotted a shark 25 yards off the coast of Long Island on July 17.
Beachgoers were urged to get out of the water after the beast was detected.
Meanwhile, Nauset Beach, Massachusetts was temporarily closed after a great white was spotted.
Fire crews in Ocean Beach warned swimmers should only venture into waist-deep waters.
Chief Ian Levine told CNN that people “should be aware of their surroundings”.
Long Island has been rocked by a series of shark attacks in recent weeks.
SPATE OF ATTACKS
Surfer Shawn Donnelly, 41, was knocked off his board when a sand tiger shark attacked off the coast of Smith Point Beach on July 13.
He was left with a four-inch gash wound to the leg.
Donnelly revealed he punched the shark to fend off the beast.
He told NBC New York: “It got my left calf and knocked me off my board… when I was falling off my board, I saw the fin and its back.”
Donnelly managed to ride a wave that returned him to shore.
A man, 49, was bitten on the wrist and buttocks by a shark at Seaview Beach – hours after Donnelly was attacked.
John Mullins was mauled by a tiger shark on July 7.
He was participating in lifeguard training on Fire Island when the beast attacked.
The attack left John with foot injuries. He was taken to hospital where he received several stitches.
Meanwhile, another lifeguard Zach Gallo, was attacked on July 3 near Smith Point Beach.
He was participating in a training exercise when he was reportedly bitten in the chest and hand by the beast.
He was then immediately rushed to the hospital, where he received stitches.
A 57-year-old man reportedly suffered a laceration on June 30 while swimming off Jones Beach.
Shark attacks have also been reported off the coast of Florida this year.
A six-foot-long beast bit a surfer on his foot at New Smyrna Beach on July 10.
The popular resort has been dubbed the shark capital of the world.
Florida teen Addison Bethea, 17, was forced to get her leg amputated after being savaged by a shark.
She was scalloping with her brother when the predator pounced.
Read More On The Sun
JLo shares first photos and videos from Las Vegas wedding to Ben Affleck
Ivana Trump’s funeral details revealed with children all set to attend service
And, mom-of-two Lindsay Bruns was left with a half-circle-shaped wound following an attack in June.
Chris Paparo, who has worked with sharks for more than 20 years, told The Sun that the shallower marine environment along the East Coast allows the apex predators to thrive.
Source: Read Full Article
