MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WTVR)—An update on the very rare alleged occurrence of four shark bites in one day, that happened between 72nd and 82nd Avenue North in Myrtle Beach.
Four different people said they were bitten by a shark last Thursday, and beachgoers were confined to the sand for almost two hours after the reports were made.
Captain David Knipes, spokesman for the Myrtle Beach Police Department,confirmed with WMBF News that four individuals said they were bitten in the ocean. The station also reported that photos of the bites have been sent to researchers at the University of Florida to determine exactly what the source was.
The victims were at four different locations in the water; 74th Avenue, 77th Avenue, 79nd Avenue and 82nd Avenue North when they were bitten. In addition to these alleged attacks, a boogie boarder was bitten by a shark in early June.
Knipes told WMBF that three victims were transported via ambulance and the fourth was driven in a personal vehicle.
While experts view the evidence, 16-year-old Jordon Garofalo from Canton, Ohio said his doctor was pretty sure it was a shark because of the bite marks.
Garofalo told WMBF he was in a state of shock. “I never saw anything,” he said.” That’s why it took me by surprise when all of a sudden there was something latched on to my foot.”
Officials are encouraging people to use extreme caution in the ocean. In early June, around 7:45 p.m., a shark attacked a 25-year-old surfer Ryan Orellana-Maczynski on the foot near the 2nd Avenue Pier. [GRAPHIC: Photo of shark bite]
The victim spoke exclusively with a WMBF reporter about that attack, that happened while boogie boarding. Orellana-Maczynski had surgery on his foot and he said he might need more in the future but he’s thankful to be alive.
“I feel like I could be out in the ocean dead. That shark was strong. I was fighting it and I’m still sore from fighting it to be honest,” he said.
You can hear his entire story by clicking here.
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