For the seventh time in three weeks, a swimmer has been bitten by a shark while visiting the North Carolina seashore. This summers attacks are the most to occur in at least 15 years.

This most recent attack involved a 68-year-old man who was swimming 25-30 feet off-shore in waist deep water. The man was swimming with his adult son when the attack occurred. The approximately 7-foot shark pulled him down. As he was trying to fight off the vicious attack, the man received bites to his ribcage, lower leg, his hip, and both hands. The attack happened on an Ocracoke Island beach off North Carolina’s Outer Banks.

After freeing himself from the shark, the man was able to swim to shore and lifeguards helped him from the water. The unfortunate elderly swimmer was then flown to a hospital for further treatment.

Two other swimmers fell victim to shark attacks on the Outer Banks on Sunday. Injured were a 17-year-old teen was bitten on his calf, buttocks, and both hands, and a 47-year-old man suffered bites to his right leg and lower back near Avon.

An eight-year-old boy was bitten in the heel on a Surf City beach, and an 18-year-old teen was also attacked approximately 25-miles north of Cape Hatteras, he suffered unspecified,  but critical injuries.

Two others were attacked on North Carolina’s Oak Island on June 14. In those attacks, 2 miles apart and within the same hour, a 16-year-old male teen lost an arm and a 12-year-old girl also lost her arm.

It is believed that fishermen chumming while fishing close to shore are drawing the sharks in close, as well as the abundance of sea turtles in the area which are a favorite prey for the sharks. There are also a lot of swimmers in the water this year.

Last year, there were only four shark attacks throughout the summer.

  hatteras, oak island, ocracoke, shark attacks, surf city, swimmers