Dallas Posted June 25, 2005 Share Posted June 25, 2005 (CNN) -- A 14-year-old girl died Saturday in a shark attack while swimming in the Gulf of Mexico, authorities said.The teenager was dragged underwater by the shark at about 11:15 a.m. in front of a campground near the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, near Destin, Florida, according to the South Walton Fire District. She lost a leg in the attack and died afterward, district official John Fitch said. At the time of the attack, the girl and a 14-year-old friend were swimming and using "boogie boards" about 200 to 250 yards offshore, said Lt. Frank Owens of the Walton County Sheriff's office. The friend saw the attack and her friend being dragged under, he said. "For a regular swimmer, she was pretty far out," Capt. Danny Glidewell of the sheriff's office told CNN. Usually, only surfers go that far out in the water, he said. Once swimmers pass the first sandbar, or dropoff, "you will experience more sightings of sharks," he said, although this is the area's first shark attack. Although shark sightings are not uncommon along the coast, Owens said, no one had seen a shark in the area Saturday before the attack. Green flags indicated calm surf, Glidewell said. Beaches in southern Walton County were closed after the attack and will remain closed for at least the rest of the day, Owens told CNN. Authorities anticipate opening the beaches Sunday, Glidewell said, but a final decision has not been made. Observers have not seen the shark since the incident, and it's believed to have left the area, Owens said. Authorities do not know what kind of shark it was. Fitch said the shark was about 11 feet long. Owens said he could not confirm that size, but noted that many species swim in the warm waters off the Florida coast. The shark apparently was chasing bait fish in the water, Fitch said. http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/06/25/shark.attack/index.html Big news around here, then I saw it on CNN so I thought I would post it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koding Posted June 25, 2005 Share Posted June 25, 2005 So young...that's really sad :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yusuf M. Veteran Posted June 25, 2005 Veteran Share Posted June 25, 2005 There should've been warning signs, too bad she lost her leg then died. Must've been really painful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mx Posted June 25, 2005 Share Posted June 25, 2005 ah god, poor girl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j.r.l. Posted June 26, 2005 Share Posted June 26, 2005 Aw man, I've always been scared of not being killed by a shark, just depieced (:laugh:) but that's even worse... poor girl, and poor family Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BroChaos Veteran Posted June 26, 2005 Veteran Share Posted June 26, 2005 wow that is really sad, and pretty random :( one of the reasons swimming in the ocean scares me. i love to swim, and i love the water, but growing up on lake michigan, even though it was a big lake, there was the comfort that you were the biggest thing in the water. every time i step in the ocean, i feel very small. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j.r.l. Posted June 26, 2005 Share Posted June 26, 2005 there was the comfort that you were the biggest thing in the water. 586120347[/snapback] That's true... You know, never did I ever put my foot in one ocean :blush: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SadJoker Posted June 26, 2005 Share Posted June 26, 2005 one of the reasons swimming in the ocean scares me. i love to swim, and i love the water, but growing up on lake michigan, even though it was a big lake, there was the comfort that you were the biggest thing in the water. every time i step in the ocean, i feel very small. 586120347[/snapback] Me too. :blush: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trashpickinman Posted June 26, 2005 Share Posted June 26, 2005 Wont stop me going into the water. I always go to the beach by myself, and I try to pick the farthest end of the beach away from most if not all of the people. Swimming alone in the ocean doesn't scare me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dallas Posted June 26, 2005 Author Share Posted June 26, 2005 If you are in a group of people and close to the shore 99.999999846% of the time sharks will not bother you, they wont even be around. if you are around sharks, MOST of the time they will swim around you. If you read the article, you see she was out farther then she should have been. Past the first sandbar is as close as most sharks will come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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