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| The Volusia County Beach Patrol drives on an emptied NSB beach Thursday after a thunderstorm that included lightning. NSB News photos by Henry Frederick |
NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Sure, sharks attack surfers, but believe it or not it can be the other way, too.
When a shark knocked 15-year-old Troy Zettle of Edgewater from his surfboard on July 23, he retaliated by stepping on it, which prompted the shark to bite his left foot.
This incident was recorded by the Volusia County Beach Patrol as a "provoked attack. Of the 15 shark attacks this year, to were provoked by surfers, including this one, the Beach Patrol reported.
With all of the rainy days in July, there has been a respite from shark attacks, with the exception of two that week, on surfers near the south Jetty where they love the waves and sharks love the bait-fish. That quiet time has come courtesy of Mother Nature, in the form of thunderstorms.
When there is thunder and lightning, the beaches are cleared of all swimmers, sunbathers and surfers as a safety precaution.
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"There is so much emphasis by the media on shark bites, but the real danger is lightning -- it can be deadly," said Beach Patrol Capt. Scott Petersohn, the agency's spokesman.
The beaches were emptied just after 1 p.m. on Thursday because of thunder and lightning and remained closed the rest of the day.
"We just can't take the chance," Petersohn said. "We can't have surfers out there and risk our people to go out and get them when lightning is striking. We've never had a shark fatality, but over the years we've had several lightning fatalities.
Volusia County lifeguard Jerry Remmer was killed b a lightning strike in the late 1960s, Petersohn pointed out.
"When we're actually talking about having to save lives, rip currents that cause drownings and lightning are a much bigger problem than shark bites," he said, pointing out the average shark bite requires about 10 stitches.
The shark attacks have been mostly confined to a 300-yard stretch near the South Jetty, Petersohn said.
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