Florida Kiteboarder Killed by Sharks
Stephen Schafer, a veteran water sports enthusiast, was killed by sharks off the coast of Florida on Wednesday while kiteboarding. This is the first fatal shark attack in the state over the last 5 years, according to experts.
According to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, lifeguard Daniel Lund saw the 38-year-old in distress with his binoculars about 500 yards out from the shore. The lifeguard paddled out for about 20 minutes against 4-6 foot tall waves and found that a number of sharks were circling Schafer. He was only about 20 yards away and could see a lot of blood in the water. Lund put him on his board and paddled to the shore. The kiteboarder was then taken to the hospital by paramedics, but died later.
In a report that was released on Thursday by the sheriff’s office, it said that Schafer had 8-10 inch bite wounds on his right thigh, as well as many teeth marks on his buttocks. He also had bruises on his arms and wounds on his hand, which indicate that he tried to fight the sharks off. The incident report also adds that Schafer was yelling about being bitten by a shark.
Witnesses that saw the incident said that the paramedics did all they could to save Schafer, but they were powerless. One said that he wasn’t moving, and it was just heartbreaking. A friend of the kiteboarder said that it was odd he was surfing alone, and it’s hard to believe he’d make that one mistake.
Minor bites from sharks happen often to swimmers and surfers in Florida, but officials say that fatal attacks are very rare. Grant Gilmore, a research scientist, says that the sharks were probably juvenile great whites. Despite that, the beaches were open on Thursday.
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