Waters in Walton County, Florida, closed after back-to-back shark bite incidents on Friday.
Both incidents occurred in Walton County – which is in the Florida Panhandle – and not near a boat, but authorities are unsure how far from land the attacks occurred, said Mackenzie McClintock, spokeswoman for the South Walton Fire District.
The two incidents occurred about 4 miles apart within about 90 minutes, said South Walton Fire District Chief Ryan Crawford. There were three victims in total.
It is “extremely unusual” for two biting incidents to occur in one afternoon, Crawford said during an evening news conference.
A 45-year-old woman was injured in the first “reported shark incident.” It happened in the water around 1:20 p.m. in Watersound, the Founders Way area of Watersound Beach, Crawford and the The Walton County Sheriff’s Office said.
Crawford said the woman was swimming with her husband beyond the first sandbar when the bite occurred.
“She suffered significant trauma to her abdominal and pelvic region, as well as amputation of her left arm,” Crawford said.
The woman was transported to a medical center in critical condition, Crawford said.
She was in stable condition Saturday, said Elizabeth Eulber, spokeswoman for HCA Fort Walton-Destin Hospital.
After the first attack, beaches in the surrounding areas flew double red flags to indicate the risk, the sheriff’s office said. The Gulf in the Walton County area was also closed to the public at that time.
Soon after, at 2:56 p.m., the sheriff’s office and fire department responded to a second shark incident in the area of Sandy Shores Court near Seacrest Beach in Walton County.
There were two victims in that attack, Crawford said: two girls between the ages of 15 and 17.
They were with a group of friends “just inside the first sandbar,” Crawford said, which makes the location “very similar” to the first attack.
The first victim had “significant injuries” to an upper and lower extremity, Crawford said. She was transported to a trauma center in critical condition.
The second victim had “superficial injuries” to his right foot and is in stable condition, Crawford said.
Walton County Sheriff Mike Adkinson said both seriously injured women have a “fighting chance” thanks to the quick responses of nearby citizens as well as first responders.
Authorities have contacted experts from Mote Marine of Sarasota, Florida, Adkinson said, to see if there is anything “anomalous” about the twin attacks, although he said he does not believe there is.
McClintock said authorities don’t know what type of shark bit the two victims, but there are often sharks in this water.
After the second attack, authorities shut off water supplies to the public throughout Walton County. The water reopened on Saturday with a red flag, indicating high waves and strong currents, and a purple flag for pungent marine life.
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