Fifth Shark Attack in 12 Months Shakes Community as Experienced Kite Boarder Feels the Wrath of Jaws

Sharks are the tigers of the ocean; they just love to bite. They might be majestic creatures, but the menace of shark attacks definitely makes surfing not an entirely safe activity. Sharks are found all around the world. However, some areas are more prone to shark attacks than others. Key West, it seems to be, has recently become popular, but for all the wrong reasons.

The area of Key West, and its surroundings, have just experienced their fifth shark attack in the last 12 months. An experienced kite surfer, and boat captain, was recently bitten in the leg by a shark while kite surfing. Unfortunately for the 67-year-old, his experience could not save him from the painful consequences of a shark bite, and he had to be rushed to the hospital.

Kite Surfing turns into a bloody nightmare

Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida and a popular surfing spot. When the weather conditions are ideal, Key West, especially South Beach, can produce some solid, hollow waves. But recently, it has been the cause of more banes than boons to surfers. Key West has been the scene of 5 major, and some other not-so-major, shark attacks in the last 12 months.  According to Yahoo! News, 67-year-old Kevin Carlton Scott was taken to Miami-Dade hospital Saturday after a shark bit him in the leg while he was kite surfing.

The local police incident report revealed that Scott is a Key West resident. The police were summoned to the Garrison Bight Marina shortly before 2 p.m. on Saturday. The police officials reached there to see the fire-rescue paramedics styling a tourniquet for the leg of the victim. According to the victim’s wife, Laurie Scott, 63, he was kiteboarding about six miles offshore in Blue Fish Channel. The wife was waiting in the boat when she heard the victim scream. After investigating, she found her husband’s leg had been bitten by a shark.

Read more: “He Was Gushing Blood Like Crazy”: Shocking Great White Shark Attack on a Surfer, Left Joe Rogan Terrified Once

She then helped him come onboard and then called 911 for emergency services. According to Key West Police Officer Santiago Perez, Scott had “Lacerations to his right calf consistent with [a] shark bite.” Scott was first taken by the paramedics to Lower Keys Medical Center. He was airlifted by Monroe County’s helicopter ambulance and taken to Jackson South Medical Center in Kendall. This is not the first time an incident like this has wracked the shores of Keys West.

Is Keys West becoming a shark attack hub?

The array of islands in the Strait of Florida has experienced many painful and terrifying shark encounters in the past year. Last August, while snorkeling off Looe Key, a 10-year-old North Carolina boy was bitten by a humongous shark. The little boy lost a part of his leg as a consequence. Before that, in June, a 35-year-old Texas woman was gravely injured in Sawyer key, which is in the Lower Keys. A shark bit her on the leg after she jumped off a pontoon boat.

Apparently, surfers are not the only targeted group. Swimmers equally feel the wrath of the jaws, and hence, are as unsafe in shark-infested waters as surfers are. In January, a Romanian suffered bites to his thigh, knee, and calf area. He was swimming at the outer mole of Fort Zachary Taylor State Park in Key West and got bit by a water beast. Shark attacks in the Keys West, while not a novel phenomenon, are quickly becoming a concern due to the frequency of their occurrence.

Watch this story: “Most Terrifying Things” 29-Year-Old Recalls a Life-Threatening Shark Attack Experience From 2016