Three people injured in two shark attacks at Florida beaches just 90 minutes apart

Three people were injured in two shark attacks within just 90 minutes of each other at neighboring beaches in Walton County, Florida, authorities said.

The attacks happened about four miles apart and left two people in critical condition and a third in stable condition, South Walton Fire District Fire Chief Ryan Crawford said in a joint news conference.

Two people remained in the hospital in a stable condition on Saturday.

Just after 1:15 pm on Friday, authorities responded to a report of a woman being injured by a shark in the water near Watersound Way and Coopersmith Lane, according to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office.

A 45-year-old woman was “reportedly swimming just past the first sandbar with her husband” near WaterSound Beach, Crawford said in the news conference.

The woman suffered significant trauma to the midsection and pelvic area and her left lower arm was amputated, according to Crawford. She was airlifted to a local trauma facility for treatment.

The second attack took place at the Sandy Shores Court area of Seacrest Beach at approximately 2:55 pm, four miles east of the first incident.

Two girls approximately 15 to 17 years old were in waist deep water with a group of friends just inside the first sandbar when the incident occurred.

One of the teenagers had significant injuries to the upper leg and one hand, and the other had minor injuries on one foot, according to the fire district.

Officials do not know for sure if the same shark was behind the separate attacks or what species was involved.

“It would make more sense that with the nature and severity of the injuries, that it was the same large shark,” Mr Crawford said.

The father of a 17-year-old girl who witnessed the teenagers being attacked from her hotel balcony said his daughter was distraught.

“She felt helpless that she couldn’t help,” Brian Erbesfield said of his daughter Hanna.

Video provided by the family shows a shark in breakers meters offshore as beachgoers gather at the water’s edge.

“Oh my God, Oh my God … They need to get out,” a voice said.

Walton County Sheriff Michael Adkinson said during Friday’s news conference that authorities are speaking with experts to see if there is “something anomalous.”

“We don’t think there is, but we certainly want to be diligent,” he said. “We know we share the water with sharks, we understand that as tragic as this is, there are always sharks.”

The last two shark incidents in the area were reported in 2021 and 2005, according to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office.

While the risk of being bitten by a shark is extremely low, Florida tops global charts for the number of shark bites, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History’s annual shark attack report.

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