Shark Attacks 13-Year-Old Girl

A 13-year-old girl enjoying a day at the beach with her family Sunday is the latest shark attack victim in Florida.

Alexandra Masterson, 13, was waist-deep in water at New Smyrna Beach when the attack occurred, the Sun Sentinel reported. The girl was bodysurfing and felt something hit her. That hit is a likely bite from a spinner shark, the Sentinel said. It required seven stitches to repair.

Masterson is just the latest in a conga line of shark bite victims reported this season. Her attack is also the sixth for Volusia County this year alone, according to the Palm Beach Post.

The period of late August to about mid-September is considered the peak season for shark bites in Florida waters. It’s during this time of year that large schools of fish migrate, and sharks go right along with them as they swim closer to shore.

Volusia County leads the state in the number of shark attacks reported between 1882 and 2013, according to records from the Florida Museum of Natural History. It logged 257 attacks during that period of time. Brevard comes in second with 114 attacks.

Pinellas County has the dubious distinction of having the most recorded attacks in the Tampa Bay area with 12 total since 1882. Two of those attacks were fatal.

See Also:

• Shark Attack Prime Time is Now
• Shark Bites Girl in Florida Waters
• Hammerhead Shark Causes Panic on Florida Beach
• Florida Named Scariest State in America
• Fisherman Bitten by Shark in Panhandle Waters