Florida warns of shark danger on Gulf Coast after 3 attacks

Authorities are utilizing boats to patrol the ocean and alert swimmers about the presence of sharks this weekend along Florida’s Gulf Coast, where two separate shark attacks injured three people on Friday.

The incidents occurred off beaches in the Florida Panhandle, leading authorities to temporarily close several beaches to swimmers on Friday. The beaches were reopened on Saturday with flags signaling high hazards.

In Walton County, the sheriff’s office, fire department, and the state’s wildlife agency collaborated to patrol the water with boats and the shore with vehicles, as reported by the South Walton Fire District on Saturday. Both attacks on Friday occurred in Walton County.

“Please be cautious while swimming today, respect the Gulf, stay hydrated, and watch out for your loved ones,” the fire department urged via social media.

Swimmers were warned of the dangers with red and purple flags being used on Saturday.

The Bay County Sheriff’s Office explained that “Purple Flags indicate the presence of dangerous marine life and single red flags indicate high hazard conditions” in a social media post on Saturday.

According to the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, small fish traveling in schools near the shore at this time of year may have played a role in the attacks.

The first attack on Friday afternoon involved a woman being bitten by a shark near WaterSound Beach, causing critical injuries on her hip and lower left arm. She was airlifted to a trauma center for treatment.

Less than two hours later, firefighters responded to another beach about 4 miles east of the first attack following multiple reports of a teenager injured by a shark. Two teenage girls were attacked while in waist-deep water, with one sustaining significant injuries to the upper leg and one hand. She was flown to a trauma center, while the other teen had minor injuries on one of her feet.

Additionally, on Friday in Hawaii, a woman was seriously injured in an apparent shark attack in the waters off the island of Oahu, according to officials.

Although rare, shark attacks do occur. According to experts, there were 69 unprovoked bites worldwide last year, with 10 of them being fatal, as reported by the University of Florida’s International Shark Attack File. This number was higher than the recent average of six deaths per year.