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American Morning

More Shark Attacks Over the Weekend

Aired August 20, 2001 - 09:09   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: From fire to water now. This summer of the shark is building a frightening reputation now. Six surfers today are recovering from shark bites suffered over the weekend around Daytona Beach, Florida.

CNN's Susan Candiotti is in nearby New Smyrna Beach, where two of the attacks took place over the weekend. She's got the latest for us on the surfers and on the sharks. Susan?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you this day, Leon. It's a gorgeous day out here at New Smyrna Beach, and this is also back to school day. So we do not expect to see any of the kids out here this day, not until next weekend anyway.

If you have the impression that there are more shark attacks than usual this summer, well, not so at all. Actually, if you look at the number, only one more here in Volusia County than during the same period last year, 17 versus 16. Of course, that number is more than half of the 37 so far worldwide.

Why is it happening? For one thing, experts say surfing conditions are just right, there are more people in the water, and this particular area is also very popular with sharks.

You saw it, there the surfers are already out there in the water, over the weekend, as you know, six people were attacked, none of those injuries life threatening. But, if you take a look at some of this home video it certainly appears frightening, as you can see the shark fins popping in and out of water very close to shore.

Some of those people who were injured over the weekend were part of a surfing competition, others were not. Contest organizers say they did ask parents of these young people whether they should cancel the contest, and they asked the surfers themselves, and no one said it should be canceled. The beach patrol didn't cancel it either, and so the competition went on. Although after the attacks, the beach was closed for a period of time.

This morning, I spoke with one of those injured on Saturday, Jeff White, and he said he loves the surf so much that even though he -- on the way out -- he saw sharks in the water, he kept going, and then he felt bitten. And he said it's hard to keep people like him out of water. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFF WHITE, SURFER: If you're going to go out there, then you take that risk every time. And I think everybody knows that, that surfs, that they are out there lurking around and you are in their territory, and it's bound to happen to somebody.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CANDIOTTI: Now, on the other hand, Jeff White also said that from now on if he sees shark fins out in the water, he's not going to go out anymore. But he does intend to go back.

Shark experts say that if you feel as though you have been bitten by a sharks, despite the pain, what you ought to do, they say, is to try to -- as hard as this would be -- punch it, Leon. Punch the shark in the eyes, punch the shark in the gills. Good luck, but that's apparently what it would take to get rid of the shark, and that is what one 17-year-old young lady did yesterday, and the shark went away after biting her.

HARRIS: Thanks, a lot. Imagine having to take things into your own hands, literally, with a shark. Susan Candiotti, New Smyrna Beach, thank you very much. We will see you later on.

We'll also be going back to that beach in just a few minutes. We'll be joined by someone who works for the beach patrol, and we'll talk with them as well about these shark attacks.

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