A 14-year-old boy was bitten by a shark during a lifeguard training camp in Ponce Inlet, Florida, on Monday morning. The incident occurred near the Ponce Inlet lifeguard tower shortly before noon, according to Volusia County Beach Safety officials. The teenager was practicing water entries when he landed on a shark, resulting in a bite to his leg.
Witnesses reported that the boy dove onto a blacktip shark, which was estimated to be 4 to 5 feet long. Despite the alarming nature of the incident, the teen’s injuries were not considered life-threatening. He was taken by his parents to receive stitches.
This attack is the latest in a series of shark bite incidents in the area. Just days earlier, two separate shark bites were reported in nearby New Smyrna Beach. On Friday, a 26-year-old man was bitten on the foot while floating in an innertube, and on Thursday, a 21-year-old man was bitten while playing football in shallow water.
In June, another shark attack off Florida’s east coast left a man with a severe bite to his right arm. Earlier that month, a woman and two teenage girls were injured in two separate shark attacks on Florida’s Gulf Coast.
Local authorities have issued warnings to swimmers about the dangers present in Florida’s waters. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission notes that shark activity in Florida is typically at its peak between April and October. While shark attacks are rare, they do occur. In 2023, there were 69 confirmed shark attacks worldwide, which was higher than the previous five-year average of 63 attacks. Almost half of the U.S. attacks happened in Florida, with Volusia County being dubbed the “shark bite capital of the world.”
Last month, pro surfer Tamayo Perry died after sustaining fatal injuries in a shark attack off the island of Oahu in Hawaii.
The 14-year-old boy, identified as Dempsey Manhart, spoke to FOX 35 News about the incident. He recounted how he dove into the water during a lifeguard training camp drill and landed on the shark. “I dove onto it, and I hit the shark,” Manhart said. “I hit it with my hands, and then I stood up, and it spun around and was like underneath my legs. And I think it bit me then when it was wrapped around my feet.”
Initially, Manhart thought he had hit another person, only to quickly realize it was a shark. “When it came under my feet, I was like hitting it, and then it swam away. Then that’s when I saw the shark,” he said. The shark bit him in his calf, and he needed 17 stitches. Despite the ordeal, Manhart is eager to return to lifeguard training camp, although he can’t get back in the water just yet. He remains optimistic and unafraid of future encounters with sharks. “I think that it’s something really rare that can happen. And if it’s happened once, I doubt it’s going to happen again. So I don’t think there’s really anything to be scared of,” he said.
Manhart draws inspiration from his father, who is a deputy, lifeguard, and EMT with decades of experience saving people on Volusia County beaches.
Manhart’s incident is one of three shark bites reported in the past week. Connor Baker, another victim, was playing football in knee-high water at New Smyrna Beach when a shark bit his foot on the Fourth of July. “All of a sudden, I felt something stab the top and bottom of my foot,” Baker said. “My first instinct was I yanked my foot out, and then just kind of took off.” Baker was rushed to the hospital, where he underwent surgery to repair four ruptured tendons. He is now home and recovering but will be unable to walk for 6–8 weeks. With physical therapy, he is expected to return to normal walking eventually. “I feel lucky that I should be able to be back to normal at some point, maybe not for a while, but better than never being back to normal,” he said.
A third person, a 26-year-old man from Sarasota, was also bitten on Friday in New Smyrna Beach. He was bitten on his left foot while in the water.
These incidents highlight the ongoing risk of shark encounters in Florida’s waters, particularly in Volusia County. Swimmers and beachgoers are advised to remain vigilant and heed local warnings to minimize the risk of shark bites.
Source: CBS/AP, Fox News Digital, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File
