Two swimmers avoided shark bites this week at the busiest beach in South Carolina.
According to authorities, both persons were assaulted at Myrtle Beach on Monday, with one receiving significant damage to the forearm and the other receiving a more minor bite to the thigh.
The attacks took place in the water about a half-mile (1 kilometer) apart. According to The Associated Press (via ABC News), authorities said there is no way to determine if they are connected.
Grandma Survives Shark Attack After Receiving Hundreds of Stitches
A woman who was attacked by a shark in South Carolina's Myrtle Beach described the incident to her grandson, who was nearby.
Pittsburgh native Karren Sites was one of two people harmed by sharks on August 15 at Myrtle Beach.
Given that the two assaults happened half a mile apart and over a period of time, police were unclear if the same shark was responsible for both.
"I just felt something, I guess, bite me, and there was a shark on my arm; I was only in waist-deep water and I kept pushing at it to get it off my arm and it did," Karen told WPDE-TV.
To heal her wounds, Karen was rushed to the hospital. She underwent surgery to treat an arm wound.
MYRTLE BEACH, SC - MAY 29: Life guards help a beachgoer out of the water on May 29, 2021 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Myrtle Beach is the No. 3 top destination for road trips on Memorial Day, according to AAA Carolinas.
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She claimed to have been bitten on the arm while in waist-deep water on the first day of her vacation with her 8-year-old grandson.
Brian Sites, Sites' grandson, was 10 feet from his grandmother when the incident occurred.
"I couldn't even see the shark coming up, but all I saw was the shark jumped up and it didn't even bite all the way, like I saw the movement of the tail go to the side and then she screamed a little bit and as soon as she touched it, it fell into the water," Brian told WPDE-TV.
Data on Shark Attacks
Unprovoked shark bites are quite unlikely, reports said. Newsweek, citing Shark Attack Data, South Carolina has seen 116 unprovoked shark attacks in the last 122 years, nine of which have been deadly. The most recent passing occurred in 2005.
Although the species responsible for the attacks in Myrtle Beach and the other two off the coast of South Carolina in 2022 is unknown, a variety of shark species may be seen in the adjacent seas.
Acoustic receivers have identified 12 distinct shark species in the state's seas, including great whites, sand tigers, bull sharks, tiger sharks, lemon sharks, blacktip sharks, and hammerheads, according to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Around 45 percent of the big coastal shark species transmitter data was made up of tiger sharks.
The Florida Museum warns beachgoers to swim with a companion close to shore despite the reduced hazards. Sharks have a keen sense of smell, so swimmers should avoid bathing at dawn or dark, close to where people are fishing, or if they have an open wound that is bleeding.
It suggests repeatedly slapping a shark on the nose as you attempt to exit the water if one approaches. Since the shark's eyes and gill holes are sensitive places, scratching them with your nails may be helpful if the shark attacks you.
RELATED ARTICLE: Drone Footage Shows 2 Unsuspecting Swimmers, Unaware of a 7-Foot Shark Approaching Them Off the Coast of Florida
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