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11 shark attacks in Carolinas scare beachgoers, puzzle experts

A shark grabbed onto a man on Wednesday in North Carolina, which raises the number of shark attacks in the Carolinas to eleven this year. There have been seven attacks clustered in the past three weeks, which have made beachgoers nervous and puzzle biologists.

Shark experts are trying to find answers to this highly unusual situation, as summer drives more swimmers to the water.

Two more attacks in two days

Andrew Costello, 67, was wading in waist-deep water near Ocracoke Island when a shark pulled him under. The Boston Herald identified the man as the newspaper’s former Editor-in-Chief.

Jackson Fuqua, 15, who witnessed the attack said:

I saw a big trail of blood from the water to where the man was laying down on a beach towel. There were a lot of EMS workers all around him and they were frantically trying to help him and work to close the wounds he had.

Costello is in good condition and recovering from wounds to his rib cage, leg, hip and both hands.

The day before Costello’s attack, a 12-year-old boy was bitten in the leg while swimming in shallow water off Isle of Palms, South Carolina. The injury required eight stitches to close, according to CNN.

Many theories about why rise in shark attacks

The recent wave of shark attacks has left many beachgoers nervous and some wonder why this is happening.

Experts agree that the spike in shark attacks is a strange occurrence, but there is no clear explanation. While biologists study the patterns of attacks, there is speculation why this year has been more dangerous. One theory is that shark fishing is allowed in North Carolina and chumming the waters may draw sharks near swimmers.

Other explanations offered are warmer waters or a change in shark migration patterns.

“It’s an all-time record for North Carolina,” said George Burgess, director of the International Shark Attack File at the University of Florida’s Florida Museum of Natural History, as reported by The Washington Post.

Burgess said the bites involve larger sharks and some victims have been children or teenagers, which makes this a serious problem, “the real deal.” The best solution would be for people to stay out of the water, especially after sharks have been spotted in the area.

Data from the International Shark Attack File note that the risk of injury or death from drowning (1 in 2 million) is much higher than being bitten by a shark (1 in 11.5) million.

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