Sharks Still Biting

An 18-year-old Boogie Boarder was nipped by a shark Saturday, the ninth person bitten off this beach in the last week.

Ben Gibbs of Casselberry was bitten on his upper left thigh and right foot, about a mile south of a one-mile stretch of beach that officials closed for the weekend, said Capt. Robert Horster of the Volusia County Beach Patrol.

Gibbs was not seriously injured and was taken by friends to a hospital in his hometown, Horster said.

There have been at least 19 shark attacks off New Smyrna Beach this year - almost half the number reported in the world. The beach - 47 miles northeast of Orlando - is considered one of Florida's best surfing spots, and the water contains numerous small fish, drawing the sharks.

But despite the attacks and signs posted along the beach warning about the sharks, the sands were crowded Saturday with families and shark lovers carrying binoculars, apparently attracted by stories in the media about the attacks.

Cars lined up side-by-side along the beach and small boats packed the Atlantic waters, said Rob Meagher, a bartender at The Breakers Restaurant and Ocean View Bar, which overlooks the southern portion of the closed area.

"There's no fear, but a lot of curiosity," Meagher said. "A lot of people are sitting and gawking."

Two trucks patrolled the closed portion of the beach to keep people away. Horster said he did not know if a larger area would be closed Sunday because of the latest attack.

People also cruised the waters on Jet Skis scanning for sharks, said Allison Wigley, a bartender at Toni and Joe's Patio.

Local vendors cashed in on the town's recent shark plunge in the news: shirts and hats bearing pictures of sharks and reading "Bite Me" were hot items; drink-holders reading "Shark Attack Party Time" were spotted around town and an incense shop marketed oil named "shark repellent."

Meagher said the restaurant might also offer appetizers made from shark Sunday, just "to get back at 'em."

Outside the closed area, people seemed unaffected by the shark tales. Surfers scanned the coast for good waves and children swam.

The sharks have always been around and are not a big concern for surfers, said Todd Janda, assistant manager of Inlet Charley's Surf Shop and a surfer.

"It's kind of a bummer," Janda said. "We'd still be out surfing if it wasn't illegal."

A helicopter survey of the waters off New Smyrna Beach on Saturday did not show as many sharks as Friday, when 30 to 40 sharks were spotted. But that does not mean sharks are not lurking in the murky waters, Horster said.

Some shopkeepers said they noticed a slowing down in business because of the attacks. Others said they thought people were drawn to the area because of them.

"We're pretty busy," said Seaba Sharp, a front desk clerk at the Oceania Beach Club, which is about a mile south of the closed area. "It hasn't really kept people away."

Yet others said the attacks weren't really a big deal.

"Peopl aren't too concerned," said John Hostetter, a patron at Toni and Joe's. "They're having a lot of fun with it."

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