Sierra Blogging Post Archives

In a bizarre and tragic incident, a 38-year-old kite surfer was bitten by several sharks and killed off the east coast of Florida yesterday.

Shark attacks aren't exactly rare in Florida, but attacks like this are few and far between. Stephen Howard Schafer was kite surfing near Stuart Beach when he was attacked by not one shark, but a group of sharks. When rescue officials attempted to save him, he was lying limp on his board, surrounded by circling sharks. He had been bitten several times and had most likely lost a lot of blood.


"When (paramedics) got there, they found a number of sharks in the water and they found the victim had been bitten several times," Wouters said, according to a report on the WPBF's Web site. "They were able to maneuver him onto the kite to basically somewhat protect him and bring him on shore." Shaefer died at the hospital.

Authorities believe the sharks to be juvenile great whites, the only man-eaters that congregate in the colder waters off the Florida coast at this time of year. Hammerheads, bull sharks and tiger sharks, also known to bite man, swim for warmer waters in the winter or dive down deep for warmth. Juvenile great whites, however, can stand the cold - and apparently hang out in packs near the surface.

Florida is a hot spot for shark attacks, but there have only been 50 deaths attributed to sharks since 1960. The scene at Stuart Beach yesterday was truly out of the ordinary.