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CNN Sunday Morning

Shark Attacks in Florida Bring Surfing Competition to a Halt

Aired August 19, 2001 - 08:01   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.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: We begin right now in Daytona Beach, where a wave of aggressive sharks has forced people out of the water. Yesterday, three shark attacks at New Smyrna Beach brought a surfing competition to a half.

Ron Kendrick of affiliate WESH was there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF WHITE, SHARK BITE VICTIM: I'm kind of in shock, so...

RON KENDRICK, WESH CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jeff White had a close encounter with a shark. White is one of 120 participants in the National Scholastic Surfing Association's contest near the inlet in New Smyrna Beach.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm pulling everybody out of the water.

KENDRICK: White said he had seen some sharks in the surfing area, but never thought he'd get bit.

WHITE: I was coming in off my last wave out there and something grabbed my foot and I guess it was a shark. I'm not too sure. It might have been a big fish or something, but it put a nice big gash in the top of my foot.

KENDRICK: White was one of three surfers that were bitten. All were in the same general area. Two were bites on the foot, one was a bite to the hand. None was serious.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All bathing activity has been closed at this time.

KENDRICK: The beach patrol closed the section of beach and the surf competition was moved to another area. Some of the surfers left the water on their own, and for good reason.

ERIE PEEPLES, SURFER: We saw schools of like six and eight foot black, I mean bull sharks, right in the wave, and we all thought we were -- we were paddling as hard as we could to get to the beach. It was the closest I've ever been to being bit, probably.

KENDRICK: Because of bait fish near the inlet, sharks aren't uncommon. Many times, sharks don't know people from fish. CAPTAIN ROB HORSTER, VOLUSIA BEACH PATROL: Sometimes when the water is murky, they have less visibility. This time of year, also, you do have a lot of migration with sharks, you know. The pups are coming out and their moving wherever they migrate too.

KENDRICK: The beach patrol will put up signs the rest of the weekend, warning about potentially dangerous marine life.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE: Schools of sharks have been a common problem along many beaches this summer with many reports of shark bites.

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