Florida Shark Attack 2014: Teenage Girl Bitten On The Leg By Spinner Shark

The number of Florida shark victims continues to climb in 2014, with one 13-year-old girl in New Smyrna Beach suffering a wound to her leg when the shark bit into her.

In a related report by The Inquisitr, a couple on the beach were caught on video barely avoiding a hammerhead shark attack. Despite everyone yelling for their attention, it was not until the fin broke the water near them that they ran for their lives onto the beach.

Alexandra Masterson says she was in waist-deep water with her father when she felt something hit her while bodysurfing.

“But then I was like, I watch TV… so I thought a shark bit me,” Alexandra said. “It didn’t hurt that badly when it actually happened.”

The girl stayed calm because her father had paramedic training and carried her to the beach. At first, she thought perhaps a turtle had taken a bite, but once she analyzed the puncture wound, they realized it was something quite a bit larger.

Fortunately for the girl, she was bitten by a spinner shark, a species that grows only up to about 10 feet long. Although they never saw the creature that committed the shark attack, the bite mark was only about five inches across. The girl was treated and released on the scene, but they apparently visited the hospital later in the day just in case. By the end of the day, she was already up and about, texting her friends and posting photos on Instagram about her close brush with a shark.

In 2013, there were 23 Florida shark attacks, and Brevard County accounted for just three of them. According to officials, this shark attack is the sixth this year in Volusia County. But during this summer, the number of shark attacks in Brevard County alone has jumped up to six and counting. Almost all of the shark attacks have taken place on the Atlantic side of the Sunshine state, although a handful did occur around the panhandle.