When Sea Creatures and Swimmers Meet in the Summer Waves
Hot weather brings swimmers and sea creatures together.
July 19, 2010— -- With the unforgiving summer sun bearing down on many parts of the country, hundreds are flocking to their nearest beach or coastline for relief. But they are being met by an frightening array of sea creatures, including sharks, jellyfish and sting rays.
The latest encounter happened this past weekend when 13-year-old Kendall Parker was attacked by what doctors at Cape Fear Hospital believe was a sand tiger shark near Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. She reportedly had to get 40 stitches along her arm and may still need surgery to repair a damaged tendon.
"We probably get one or two [patients] a summer," said Carolyn Fisher, a spokeswoman for New Hanover Regional Medical Center, of which Cape Fear Hospital is a part. "I wouldn't say it's common."
Up the coast in Massachusetts, a fisherman caught and tagged a 15-foot great white shark, while in New Jersey, there were five shark sightings in three days.
"The ocean is a vast wilderness, home to thousands of awesome and wonderful wild creatures, and when you visit the beach this summer, you are a guest in their environment," the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says on its website. It also notes that "the majority of ocean creatures are harmless to people, but some animals can and occasionally do injure humans."
Do the Stingray Shuffle?
While injuries can be rare, they have been surfacing this summer caused by a variety of marine life. Over the course of just two days last week, about 80 swimmers were stung by stingrays along La Jolla Shores in California.
"[It] may be an effect where [the stingrays are] not used to the folks in the water like they are right now," said Sgt. John Sandmeyer, a San Diego lifeguard.
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