Recent Shark Attacks in Myrtle Beach

Danielle Friedl, Yahoo! Contributor Network
Aug 21, 2007 "Share your voice on Yahoo! websites. Start Here."

With the news reporting more and more shark attacks at our beaches it's hard not to have the Jaws theme running through your head whenever you step into the water. The very latest attack at Myrtle Beach, SC came on August 13, 2007 when not one, but two people were attacked within four miles of each other. The Museum of Natural History in Florida holds the International Shark Attack File, which is a worldwide summary of shark attacks and the definitive source of actual shark attacks since 1958. According to them there has been a steady increase in shark attacks, reaching it's peak in the 90s and slowly leveling off. The reason for the rise in attacks may not be more sharks in the oceans or any change in their behavior.

In total there have been 56 reports of shark attacks off South Carolina coasts, which culminates to about three attacks per year. The only fatal attack off the South Carolina coast is reported to have taken place in 1883. On Monday, August 13 a nine year old boy was bitten at Isle of Palms County Park and three hours later a 30 year old man was bitten outside the Wild Dunes area. With two bites in one day it might make vacationers think twice before taking dip in Myrtle Beach waters, when the latest attacks occurred in the shallows. The fact is that the reason more shark attacks are happening is more due to the fact that more humans are entering shark domain, rather then humans being hunted down. It's very simple - if there are more people in the water there's a larger chance that someone is going to get bitten just by mere happenstance.

With numbers climbing steadily until the year 2000, with a record high of 79 unprovoked shark attacks that year, there had been a noted leveling, and in some areas a decrease in the number of attacks. The reasons for this go back to the cause for the rise in the first place. Since 9/11 and the historic hurricane seasons less people have been traveling to the beaches. The amount of information the public has received in programs such as the Discovery Channel's Shark Week have possibly better informed people on how to act in the water. Over-fishing may have actually reduced the number of sharks, especially in near-shore areas where sharks are more easily caught.

But what makes Myrtle Beach, in particular, as safer place to swim then places like Florida? For one thing Myrtle Beach isn't built for sharks. Sharks like to feed off sandbars where their food source is likely to be. At low tide a shark can get get caught out between the sandbar and the shoreline and this is typically where near-shore shark attacks occur. The topography of Myrtle Beach simply does not allow for sandbars. The drop off is also something to be considered. Steep drop offs, or the continental slope, is a popular feeding ground for sharks so beaches with that type of topography are more known for attacks. Myrtle Beach's coast line only drops to 12 feet for a quarter of a mile off shore and only drops to 30 feet 30 miles out. Water temperature is another great indicator of shark presence. Sharks prefer the warmer waters of Florida and with a relatively short time of water temperatures above 70 degrees, sharks have less time to migrate to the coastal Carolinas.

The sharks that do manage to migrate north are the less aggressive type, like the sandbar and bonnethead shark. The more aggressive ones like the bull shark and tiger shark will migrate as far north as Massachusetts but in numbers far less vast then the those found in Florida. While it's true that there may be some sharks out there, they are mostly the kind that will not generally attack. The topography of Myrtle Beach and the coastal Carolinas is not one conducive to shark attacks, nor is the water temperature warm enough for a long enough time to keep an active population of sharks in the area. While attacks in the Myrtle Beach area do happen, they are considered rare and beach goers should rest assured that their beach is safe.

Published by Danielle Friedl

Danielle is a SAHM to three active little girls. It has been a life long dream to be a writer- as her mother always reminds her! View profile