Kite Surfer Killed In Mass Shark Attack

4 February 2010

A man has been killed in a rare mass shark attack off the coast of southern Florida.

Stephen Schafer, 38, was kite surfing off Stuart Beach, 100 miles north of Miami, when the sharks attacked him.

A lifeguard spotted him floating about a quarter of a mile from shore and paddled out to find him encircled by sharks.

After he was brought back to shore, rescue workers performed CPR on Mr Schafer, who had been bitten many times.

He was taken to hospital but was pronounced dead.

The Martin County Sheriff's Office was investigating the death, Captain Mark McKinley said.

The county has never been the scene of a fatal shark attack before, according to the International Shark Attack File compiled at the Florida Museum of Natural History.

A researcher said juvenile great white sharks could have been responsible for Mr Schafer's death.

The day before the attack, Teague Taylor, a childhood friend of the victim, told TCPalm.com he was surfing near where his friend was attacked and saw several sharks.

"You always think in the back of your mind that sharks are out there," he said.

Another friend told the website that Mr Schafer was a very experienced kite surfer.

Sharks have been gathering along Palm Beach County beaches recently, in their annual chase of baitfish.

Lemon, bull and hammerhead sharks are often seen off beaches in the area at this time of year.

The last fatal shark attack in Florida was in 2005.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20100204/tod-kite-surfer-killed-in-mass-shark-att-870a197.html
(Submitted by Richard Freeman)