Shark attacks are quite rare, and combined with their swiftness and sudden attacks without discernable warning tends to shock people's senses, which is why when someone gets killed by a shark its considered newsworthy.
From The Detroit News: Man killed in Fla. shark attack possibly swarmed
There was blood in the water, the sharks were circling and a grievously hurt Stephen Schafer -- his thigh gashed and his hand mauled -- was screaming in pain by the time the lifeguard reached him.
The lifeguard pulled Schafer onto his rescue board, but his cries quieted as he drifted in and out of consciousness.
He would soon be dead, marking the first deadly shark attack in Florida in five years, and perhaps a rare instance of a lethal attack by a swarm of sharks.
Schafer, 38, was attacked Wednesday afternoon a quarter-mile off South Florida's Atlantic Coast while he was out kiteboarding -- using a large kite-like sail to pull him along the surface on a board strapped to his feet. When the winds lightened and his sail dropped, the Stuart man found himself in the water, surrounded by sharks.
One problem is that on a board and in a dark wetsuit at the surface of the water, some surmise that you as a swimmer look like a seal to a shark and worthy of a test bite.
In any case, note how rare it is - the first lethal attack in Florida in five years, of course that's no consolation to poor Mr. Schafer. Sadly, he fell victim to some very bad luck indeed.
As dangerous as sharks may be, you're in far more danger travelling to or from your dive/swim/surfing/kiteboarding site due to the risk of a vehicular accident than you are in the water itself.
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