NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Two men were bitten within 10 minutes of each other Saturday morning near the South Jetty, becoming the third and fourth bite victims of the year, the Volusia County Beach Patrol said.
The first victim, a 55-year-old Sanford man, sustained a small bite on his right hand about 9:20 a.m., and was briefly treated at Bert Fish Medical Center and released.
The second surfer, a 49-year-old Southeast Volusia resident, had a more serious bite to his foot that required surgery at Bert Fish Medical Center later in the day. He was expected to make a full recovery.
The names of the victims were not readily available. Both victims, who declined ambulance rides, were with a large crowd of surfers riding 5- to 6-foot waves off the 2700 block of North Ocean Beach Avenue, where a vast majority of shark bites occur because of the large numbers of bait fish, said Capt. Scott Petersohn, Beach Patrol spokesman