A beachgoer was handled for minor accidents after a possible shark chew at a Sea Pines seaside Monday, marking Hilton Head’s first reported shark encounter of the season.
The chew occurred shortly after midday within the waters off Beach Marker 26, situated between Surf Scoter Highway and Snowy Egret Highway within the Sea Pines resort group. By the point cell seaside patrol items arrived, the injured feminine had eliminated herself from the water and “had the bleeding beneath management,” stated Mike Wagner, a spokesperson for Shore Beach Service.
Wagner wouldn’t say how previous the sufferer was, whether or not she was a vacationer or how deep she had been swimming on the time of the assault. She didn’t want to be transported to the hospital by EMS crews, he stated.
Shore Seashore Companies personnel cleared the encircling waters for about half-hour following the chew, Wagner stated, later reopening the seaside after swimming was deemed secure. With none lifeguard stands within the rapid space, it was unclear what kind of shark had bitten the feminine.
“When the guards see (sharks) they don’t essentially know what kind it’s since you’re often seeing it in a short time and never often tremendous shut in,” Wagner beforehand instructed The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette. All the roughly 80 lifeguards staffed by the privately owned seaside patrol service are trained to monitor the waters for sharks and supply medical care within the occasion of an assault.
Officers reported just one shark assault in 2023, when a shark bit a 60-year-old man’s foot in Sea Pines waters in late July. He was taken to Hilton Head Hospital for remedy of the chew wound.
