Florida Man Dies in Shark Attack
Kite surfing is a very popular sport in warm weather climates, including Florida. What's not so popular, and a pretty rare occurrence, is being surrounded and attacked by sharks while kite surfing.
According to reports, this is exactly what happened to a popular Florida man who was kite surfing off a local beach and later died after being attacked by sharks.
The Martin County Sheriff's Office told the Associated Press that a lifeguard initially saw the surfer in distress about 500 yards from shore. The lifeguard paddled out and found sharks surrounding the man, identified as 38-year-old Stephen Howard Schafer.
The AP reported that the lifeguard then put Schafer on his rescue board and paddled back to shore. Emergency responders transported Schafer to a hospital, where he later died of his injuries.
The AP reported that research scientist Grant Gilmore told The Palm Beach Post the attackers were likely juvenile great white sharks.
While swimmers and surfers often receive minor bites in Florida waters, fatal shark attacks are extremely rare, officials told the AP.
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