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Young Boy Taken to Hospital After Shark Bite on Fourth of July in Florida

The 8-year-old boy, a Miami resident, was bitten by a shark on one of Florida’s Ponce Inlet beaches this Fourth of July.

During a holiday visit to Volusia County this July 4th, a Miami boy was attacked by a mid-sized shark. Local news WKMG reports the shark that bit the boy was around 2 to 3-feet in size. Not a large specimen for most coastal-dwelling species, but one large enough to do serious damage to a young boy.

The Orlando Sentinel cites that the shark attack occurred around 4 p.m. local time at the Ponce Inlet Beaches. There, the 8-year-old boy was bitten in the right leg. Thankfully, however, this bite was the extent of his injuries, and Volusia County Beach Safety lifeguards were able to get to him on the scene.

Afterward, Ponce Inlet Fire Rescue was able to take the victim to local Halifax Health Medical Center, per WFTV. The boy is reportedly recovering, and his injuries are not life-threatening. Excellent news to read after a shark bite on an 8-year-old boy, to be sure.

According to Volusia County Beach Safety Ocean Rescue reports, there is an average of 8 to 10 shark bites annually in Florida. Typically, these are not life-threatening attacks. Yet this area – Volusia County – is now known as the shark bite capital of the world. The University of Florida’s International Shark Attack File designates it so, following remarkable data from the area last year (2020).

As harsh as that sounds, however, there have been zero fatal shark attacks in Florida in 2021. In fact, not a single fatal shark attack has occurred in the entire country this year. Australia, however, is tragically a different story.

4th of July Shark Attack Follows Great White Bite on West Coast

On the other side of the country, California’s Gray Whale Cove State Beach would host a far more grave shark bite a few days prior. There, a 35-year-old was bitten by a great white shark on Saturday morning, June 26.

There, angler Thomas Masotta had only been fishing for a short while. Then, a loud cry for help hit his ears.

“I had been fishing for about 15 minutes when I heard a guy, kind of over his shoulder, just holler for me,” Masotta tells KNTV of the harrowing incident. “And I looked over at him, he was waving me and he just collapsed down to the ground.”

Unbelievably, the shark bite victim had swam to shore by himself. Once submerged, he revealed a horrible great white shark bite on his right leg. Thankfully, angler Masotta was able to administer first aid while calling for help.

“I looked at the guy and said, ‘Help might be on its way, but let’s get you taken care of,’” Masotta continues. “He was pretty alert. In fact, he was the one that said, ‘Do you have anything that I can use to tie around my leg?’”

Masotta deserves just as much credit for saving the surfer after creating a makeshift tourniquet out of his angling supplies. Talk about an Outsider!

For more on this harrowing rescue, we’ve got you covered.