A vacationing mom is recuperating after being bitten by a shark in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Nicole Stowers was wading in the Grand Strand Aug. 19, just a few feet away from her 9- and 14-year-old children when something hit her right arm.
“It was like an axe fell on my arm,” Stowers told The Post and Courier.
At first the Pittsburgh native thought she had been hit by a boat floating toward the beach, but then saw something grey in the water and realized it was a 3- to 4-foot shark.
“It happened so fast! All I could think about was the pain,” she said.
Stowers and her children headed to shore where her husband alerted lifeguards after wrapping her wounded arm around the elbow.
Lack’s Beach Service lifeguards responded to the scene at 2:15 p.m. When they realized they could see muscle through the laceration on Stowers’ arm, an ambulance was called.
Other beachgoers surrounded the mother and snapped photos. “I felt like people wanted the picture more than help,” she said.
Mrs. Stowers was taken to South Strand Hospital where, thankfully, x-rays revealed no bone damage occurred; she was released after treatment.
The day before her encounter with the shark, her husband had raised concerns with lifeguards about anglers and swimmers sharing the water in such close proximity.
“It’s dangerous to be putting bait out there right next to people trying to enjoy themselves,” Stowers said.
Myrtle Beach regulations favor swimmers over anglers.
“Any person(s) who baits, fish for, or otherwise attract sharks or other marine animals that may in danger the public within one-mile of the beach or any coastal waters are in violation of this chapter. All fishermen shall release at time of recognition any and all fish or other similar type animals that may pose any danger to any beach goers, sunbathers, swimmers or any other person where the fish or animal is caught. Any person(s) who surf fishes or fishing of any type from a pier or beach, at any time of the year, shall not fish in a manner that presents an unsafe condition to any beach goers, sun bathers, swimmers, or any other person and shall keep a safe distance from them.” Sec. 5-5. – Regulations on recreational fishing from shore or pier.
Shark bites in the area are rare but occasionally occur. The rough, murky water contributes to poorer vision in sharks, who may confuse the flash of pale skin with a fish.
The approximate location has been marked on the 2020 Shark Attack Map.
