When it’s hotter than hell outside, almost anyone who lives near a body of water will find themselves drawn to it, whether it be a pool, lake, river or beach. Unfortunately, that desperation to submerge ourselves can carry risks that we forget about until it’s too late.


Advertisement

Take the 26-year-old who was visiting New Smyrna Beach in Florida on Friday, and while floating in an inner tube in water that was 5 feet deep, was bitten by a shark. That attack came less than 24 hours after a 21-year-old from Ohio was bitten at the exact same beach as they played football in knee-deep water. Fortunately, neither of their injuries were life-threatening, but geez, maybe everyone should avoid this particular beach for a while?



Meanwhile, over in Texas, four people encountered a shark at South Padre Island, resulting in two of them being bitten. According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, nobody was seriously injured, with one being taken to a nearby medical center while the other was flown elsewhere for further treatment. A third person was injured when trying to assist a bite victim, according to CNN, although it’s not clear how they were hurt. Maybe they tried punching the shark and broke their hand?


At least four shark-related incidents were reported at South Padre Island in all, each of which likely involved the same shark, who, fortunately, has now swam to open waters, having spent a lovely Independence Day terrorizing beachgoers.