With the attacks happening within less than two hours and just four miles apart, the first shark bites in years for the county, many are left wondering why or how this happened.
WALTON COUNTY, Fla. - Friday’s shark attacks are still fresh in the minds of beachgoers across the panhandle. Three victims were bitten, two were critically injured, while swimming in the gulf off of Walton County beaches Friday afternoon.
When asked if it could have been one shark that attacked or multiple, or what kind of shark it may have been that attacked, Dr. Carlson explained that there are many different species in the panhandle, and it is difficult to say for certain. “This time of the year, there’s quite a bit of bait fish very close to the shore. Sharks are very attracted to that. It’s their normal prey and they’ll move in shore to feed on that,” he explained. “So, it’s just one of these incidences where, just because of, again, there’s a lot of bait in the water or the viability of the water is poor, that the shark became confused and mistaken a person for its natural prey.
“I think there’s definitely more people today that have been more aware of what’s going on in the water and everyone’s kind of looking out for each other while also still having a good time,” Taylor, a regular beachgoer at Inlet Beach, said.
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