On the afternoon of Saturday, July 22nd, a 13-year-old boy who was standing in waist-deep water at Playalinda Beach with his mother was bitten on the leg by a shark. The Kennedy Space Center received a 911 call reporting the incident and notified protection rangers; other visitors told park lifeguards what had happened. Lifeguards bandaged the wound and an ambulance from the space center took the boy to Parrish Medical Center, 16 miles away in Titusville. Doctors determined that the foot and leg injury needed additional care, so the boy was airlifted to Arnold Palmer Children’s Hospital, where he underwent surgery. He’s expected to make a full recovery. A week later, on July 29th, a 15-year-old boy on his surfboard at the same beach was bitten on the top of one of his feet by a three- to four-foot black tip shark while waiting for some good waves. Fellow surfers confirmed the identity of the shark and said that they’re a common sight at this time of the year. The boy was taken to Parrish Hospital, where he received eight stitches on his foot. He was then released and is reportedly doing fine.
