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A BEACHGOER has been rushed to the hospital after being bitten by a shark.
The attack occurred on the same stretch of coastline where a 1,600-pound great white shark was recently spotted.
A woman at Sea Pines Resort on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina was bitten at around noon on Tuesday, Shore Beach Service said.
The patient suffered a non-life-threatening injury on her leg, Hilton Head Fire-Rescue told ABC affiliate WJCL.
The victim was initially treated by lifeguards on the beach, according to the Island Packet.
She was then rushed to the Hilton Head Island Airport, where she was airlifted to Savannah, Georgia, for further treatment.
It’s unclear if she’s still in the hospital and the extent of her injuries are unknown.
It’s unclear what kind of shark bit the beachgoer.
This marks the first likely shark bite during Hilton Head’s busy summer season, Shore Beach Service Director Mike Wagner told the Island Packet.
Three people were bitten on the island last July, according to the beach patrol.
Hilton Head Island is a popular US beach town, known as a tourist destination that sees about 2.8 million visitors every year.
Recently, an attack occurred just a few weeks after a great white shark was detected near Myrtle Beach, another popular coastal destination located roughly 200 miles south along South Carolina’s coast.
The adult great white shark is nicknamed Contender.
Contender stretches 13 feet and nine inches.
The massive beast weighs 1,643 pounds.
Contender is the largest-ever shark tagged by global nonprofit organization OCEARCH.
Great White Sharks – the facts
Here’s what you need to know…
- The great white shark is a species of the large mackerel shark
- They’re typically found in the costal surface waters of all major oceans
- Great whites are famous for their size
- Females are bigger than males, growing up to 6.1 metres, or 20 feet, in length
- At full maturity, a great white can weigh up to 1,905 kilograms, or 4,200 pounds
- A 2014 study revealed that the lifespan of a great white shark is estimated at 70 years or longer
- Great white sharks can swim at speeds of over 56km/h or 35mph
- And they can swim to depths of 1,200m, or 3,900 feet
- Experts believe that grea whites have no natural predators, other than the killer whale in very rare instances
- Great whites became part of the popular imagination after the 1974 novel Jaws, and the later Steven Spielberg film adaptation
- Humans aren’t the natural prey of great whites, but they’re responsible for the largest number of unprovoked shark attacks on humans
Scientists keep tabs on sharks through trackers that “ping” whenever the shark’s fin breaks through the water’s surface.
Contender was tagged near the Georgia and Florida state line back in January, according to OCEARCH.
Since then, the shark has traveled nearly 1,800 miles.
After several weeks off the grid, Contender surfaced off the Myrtle Beach coast.
However, officials said people don’t need to be scared of Contender as he’s swimming far away from the shore.
OCEARCH’s chief scientist and veterinarian, Dr. Harley Newton, stated, “We frequently observe sharks on our global tracker spending time off the Outer Banks before heading north, which seems to be the path white shark Contender is taking.”
“The region likely offers abundant food resources, allowing the sharks to feed and prepare for a possibly extensive journey exceeding 1,000 miles.”
