Warnings Posted After Shark Attack Numbers Rise In Volusia

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. -- Part of New Smyrna Beach is becoming Central Florida's most dangerous stretch of beach when it comes to sharks. Volusia County leads the state in shark bites and one small part of the beach is the worst of the worst.

So far in 2007, Volusia County has seen 12 shark bites. Ten of them have been just south of the Ponce Inlet jetty, including two over the weekend.

The area is known for two things. It has great waves, which attracts a lot of surfers, and it has a lot of fish, which attracts a lot of sharks. In fact, with the two bites this weekend, Volusia County has now tied its shark bite total for all of last year.

The left hand Joseph Coursey used to paddle with Sunday was bandaged like a big white club Monday after suffering what beach patrol says may be the most severe bite of the season.

"Probably six or seven inches across the back and I had puncture wounds across the inside of my hand where he chomped down on it," Coursey said.

His skin was shredded, his tendons severed and all from a quick nip from a three- to four-foot shark.

"I immediately sat up on the board as the fish bit me. The thrust of the fish came up and on the board with me and then he let go of my hand," Coursey explained.

It was a familiar story from the Ponce Inlet jetty area, where the water is warm and cloudy and sharks often mistake hands and feet for fish.

Beach Patrol is flying its purple "dangerous marine life" flags until further notice and posting warning signs where people drive onto the beach, but people haven't been deterred from going in the water.

Even Coursey said, once he heals up, he'll be back.

"A lot of people ask, if you ever get bit, would you go in the water? If you've been in a car wreck, you would still ride in a car?" he questioned.

Beach Patrol said it has no reason to believe it is turning into a record year for bites, even though sharks are actually a fairly common site right now, even up into Daytona Beach.

The sunshine state is the shark attack capital of the world. Last year, 23 people were attacked in Florida. The next highest number of attacks came from Australia. They had seven. Most Florida attacks are not fatal.