Florida beach reports 18-year-old surfer bitten by shark in second attack in 2 days

The teenager suffered lacerations on one hand and was treated on the scene.

July 29, 2019, 6:45 PM

For the second time in as many days, a surfer has been bitten by a shark at Florida's New Smyrna Beach.

An 18-year-old who was surfing near the jetty was bitten on the hand Monday afternoon, said Capt. Tamra Malphurs of the Volusia County Beach Safety Ocean Rescue.

Malphurs said the attack marked the sixth bite this year in Volusia County -- known as "the shark attack capital of the world," according to National Geographic's International Shark Attack File.

PHOTO: Surfers hit the waves at New Smyrna Beach in Florida, Aug. 29, 2007.
Surfers hit the waves at New Smyrna Beach in Florida, Aug. 29, 2007.
Orlando Sentinel/MCT via Getty Images, FILE

Malpurs told ABC News on Monday that the attack occurred at around 1:30 p.m. and that the teenager had suffered lacerations on the hand from one strike. She said he was treated on the scene but refused to be transported by ambulance.

On Saturday, William Angell, 49, of Arizona, was bitten in the right thigh around 4:30 p.m. by a shark while boogie-boarding at New Smyrna Beach. He was treated on the scene, according to Volusia County officials.

About 100 miles away that same day, professional surfer Frank O'Rourke, 23, faced off with a shark at Florida's Jacksonville Beach.

PHOTO: Frank O'Rourke, 23, shows off his bandaged right arm after he was bitten by a shark while surfing in Jacksonville Beach, Fla., on Saturday, July 27, 2019.
Frank O'Rourke, 23, shows off his bandaged right arm after he was bitten by a shark while surfing in Jacksonville Beach, Fla., on Saturday, July 27, 2019.
Courtesy Frank O'Rourke

Surfline.com captured the moment as O'Rourke struggled to stay above the water's surface as what was believed to be a black tip shark latched onto his arm.

O'Rourke was later seen bolting across the beach for help, still clutching his board.

"I felt something jump out of the water and latch onto my arm by my elbow," he told Jacksonville ABC affiliate WJXX-TV. "It just grabbed onto me and thrashed in the water and swam away."

According to the National Geographic's International Shark Attack File, it's estimated that anyone who has swam in New Smyrna Beach has been within 10 feet of a shark. And, so far, there have been at least 24 unprovoked shark attacks reported in the U.S.

All three victims were expected to be OK, officials said.

ABC News' Rachel Katz and Brendan Rand contributed to the reporting in this story.

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