Beach fun turns into ER run

[tlongII]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7589635.html

UH senior was enjoying Memorial Day in the warm Gulf waters when a shark took a bite out of her holiday


http://www.chron.com/photos/2011/05/31/26549847/260xStory.jpg
Kori Robertson puts ointment on the bite mark left from an apparent bull shark attack on Monday at Follett's Island.



Read more: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7589635.html#ixzz1O29xwXOs

Kori Robertson was minding her own business, standing waist-deep in water chatting with a friend, when she felt a jerk on her leg, followed by sharp pain. The 22-year-old college student didn't know what was happening, but she knew it wasn't good.

"I had been stung by a jellyfish before and it did not feel like that," said Robertson, who was enjoying Memorial Day with a handful of friends on Follett's Island, near Surfside, when the good time suddenly ended. "It didn't feel like a little fish nibbling at me. I had to pull my leg up out of the water, then I thought I had to get out of the water. Now."

Though she never saw the culprit in the brown water, Robertson said she was told by doctors it was a shark that had bitten her right thigh, likely a bull shark, which are plentiful along the upper Texas coast and are known for aggressive behavior. Not for nothing are they likened to aquatic pit bulls. Then again, said shark was probably minding its own business as well, swimming through the shallow water, looking for a snack, when suddenly a fleshy object appeared right before it.

"I just want people to know about this," Robertson said. "It's not something you usually think about"

Robertson, a senior education major at the University of Houston, is more of a beach lover than a shark hater despite her fresh wounds. She just wants people to think twice about the water they and their children are playing in. Bull sharks rarely inflict fatal wounds, but they can inflict a nasty gash that may require multiple surgeries if tendons are severed.

In that sense, Robertson was lucky. Whatever bit her did not get a good hold on her thigh. Her skin was badly cut, but the bite was only 1 centimeter deep. Her doctors' biggest concern is infection from the warm Gulf water. Her concern: "Big scars."

Robertson's boyfriend rushed her to the hospital after wrapping her thigh in a towel. Emergency room doctors at UTMB in Galveston treated her wounds but did not stitch them up, fearing that would make it easier for infection to set in. She is recuperating at her mother's home in The Woodlands.

"Even on the way to the hospital, I said we need to take pictures of this," she said. "I have nieces and nephews who I take out further than this. "

Shark attacks along the Texas coast are uncommon and rarely fatal. The International Shark Attack File maintained by the Florida Museum of Natural History shows 34 attacks from 1911 through 2010 for all of Texas, with 16 in the last decade, none of them fatal.

"I'm definitely not scared, though it will take me awhile before I go further out in the water," Robertson said. "You need to use caution. You definitely want to be able to see your feet."

[spurs_fan_in_exile]

Go Coogs!

[thispego]

"It's not something you usually think about"

i always think about sharks when im out there, it's really the only danger. that shit is scary when you're surfing and you see one swimming through a breaker and realize they are probably all around you.

[boutons_deux]

Meanwhile...

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/state/400-jellyfish-stings-in-one-day-at-florida-1503249.html

[CosmicCowboy]

"It's not something you usually think about"

i always think about sharks when im out there, it's really the only danger. that shit is scary when you're surfing and you see one swimming through a breaker and realize they are probably all around you.

I was hurricane surfing back in my 20's at Freeport and saw a monster hammerhead. The third break there is WAY offshore and we had paddled out in the dark through the 8' surf and were just sitting on our boards catching our breath as the sun came up...It was just a glorious morning...the high cirrus storm clouds were starting to move in and the pink/orange/purple sunrise was just spectacular.. the next 5 wave set came in and I was looking back waiting for the last wave in the set...the next wave rose up behind me and I could see this huge hammerhead profiled in the wave with the rising sun shining through it...I was on a 9' surfboard and he looked like he was twice as long as my board...he was only about 10' away...damn...I just belly flopped on the board and paddled with my fingers and caught and rode that wave all the way to the beach...rolled off the board on the sand and hyperventilated on adrenaline overdose for about 10 minutes...

[mrsmaalox]

I was out at the coast last weekend, and while I didn't get any shark bites, the approx. one zillion baby crab pinches I felt were not pleasant :lol

[clambake]

oh no, you have crabs?

[tlongII]

I was hurricane surfing back in my 20's at Freeport and saw a monster hammerhead. The third break there is WAY offshore and we had paddled out in the dark through the 8' surf and were just sitting on our boards catching our breath as the sun came up...It was just a glorious morning...the high cirrus storm clouds were starting to move in and the pink/orange/purple sunrise was just spectacular.. the next 5 wave set came in and I was looking back waiting for the last wave in the set...the next wave rose up behind me and I could see this huge hammerhead profiled in the wave with the rising sun shining through it...I was on a 9' surfboard and he looked like he was twice as long as my board...he was only about 10' away...damn...I just belly flopped on the board and paddled with my fingers and caught and rode that wave all the way to the beach...rolled off the board on the sand and hyperventilated on adrenaline overdose for about 10 minutes...

Hammerheads are scary looking, but I've never heard of one biting somebody. Bull sharks are the bad boys. Out here you have to worry about the great whites of course.

[CosmicCowboy]

I was out at the coast last weekend, and while I didn't get any shark bites, the approx. one zillion baby crab pinches I felt were not pleasant :lol

I hear the sargasso is pretty awful right now...

[Sense]

I was in Galveston last this past Saturday... I don't think I saw anyone get bit by a shark... haha

[Oh, Gee!!]

global warming, folks.

[mrsmaalox]

oh no, you have crabs?

Had crabs. Below the knees. :downspin:


I hear the sargasso is pretty awful right now...

Mustang Island and the National Seashore were pretty clean; I can't say I noticed more than a minimal amount out there.

[CosmicCowboy]

Had crabs. Below the knees. :downspin:



Mustang Island and the National Seashore were pretty clean; I can't say I noticed more than a minimal amount out there.

Cool...I was down there a couple of weeks ago and it was 2' thick and 40 feet wide down at the sticks (just north of the national seashore)

[DMC]

"It's not something you usually think about"

i always think about sharks when im out there, it's really the only danger. that shit is scary when you're surfing and you see one swimming through a breaker and realize they are probably all around you.

I've had them run into me while I was wade fishing. It's scary shit. I fear the stingray more though, because they follow you around.

[Udokafan05]

I've had them run into me while I was wade fishing. It's scary shit. I fear the stingray more though, because they follow you around.

Agreed. Always shuffle the feet.

[CosmicCowboy]

Agreed. Always shuffle the feet.

Was wade fishing a couple of years ago behind a spoil island just south of the land cut in waist deep water...my buddy and I were hammering the big trout and were about a half mile from the boat (leapfrogging with two other guys)...he cast to some noisy water in front of us and damned if a BIG bull shark didn't hook up...When he jumped there was 5' of shark in FRONT of the dorsal...obviously broke him off ASAP but then it was...uhhhh...where did he goooooo? really took the fun out of fishing till they picked us up...

[DMC]

I had one swallow an upper slot red, swallowed it whole. Just a puff of blood out the gills, white eyes and off she went. The shit was that I was wading and about to net the fish. The line didn't even pull, just went limp.

[thispego]

I've had them run into me while I was wade fishing. It's scary shit. I fear the stingray more though, because they follow you around.

I was wading in the surf for trout and had about 4 on the stringer when i felt an unnaturally strong tug on the stringer, stronger than a breaker or one of the bigger, livelier trout pulling. fuckin shark eating my fish! yeah, i shuffled back to shore fast as shit.

[DMC]

They make the breakaway stringers. I had a friend get snatched off his feet and back about 10 feet by a dolphin while were flounder gigging. He got dragged a bit before the flounder's gill plate gave way. Weird to see, especially at night. He was like a crankbait.

[thispego]

:lmao thats scary as shit, i'd never wade at night. not like i can see through the water during the day either, but at least i'm more oriented.

[DMC]

It's fun though, and we get lots of big flounder and stone crab claws. You see some pretty cool shit at night, and it's not nearly as bad as it seems.

We have to keep visual contact with the bottom else we cannot see flounder. We are normally 2-3' deep max, with a shoreline just a few feet away.

[thispego]

yeah that doesnt sound too bad, i bought a head lamp planning to go gigging one night a couple summers ago but it never happened. I'd like to try it sometime.

[CosmicCowboy]

It's fun though, and we get lots of big flounder and stone crab claws. You see some pretty cool shit at night, and it's not nearly as bad as it seems.

We have to keep visual contact with the bottom else we cannot see flounder. We are normally 2-3' deep max, with a shoreline just a few feet away.

I used to go gigging at night along the sand flats along the Lydia Ann channel (using my kayak to jump the shrimp boat channel) at Port Aransas, but with the new limits this year it's not worth the trouble...

[mrsmaalox]

Well hell. My son and a couple of his buddies are planning a short trip out there next week to start learning about fishing in water other than lakes and rivers. I read this thread to him and all he did was laugh and say "Awesome!" :bang

[thispego]

it IS awesome! :lol

[CosmicCowboy]

Adding a life and limb threatening element to fishing makes it MUCH more fun than fishing freshwater...

[thispego]

yeah, when you fish literally IN the ocean, you are no longer top o' the food chain

[mrsmaalox]

yeah, when you fish literally IN the ocean, you are no longer top o' the food chain

Gulp :(

You are no help at all! Here I was looking for some reasons to keep my baby all safe and attached to my breast for a few more years.

Nah, he's 17 and has tons of fishing experience, was raised doing it with his dad and grandpa. But neither one of them do the ocean thing and since it's something he wants to do and will have to learn it on his own, I think he's at the perfect age. I just want to be sure he's not too cocky and has the proper respect for the ocean and it's inhabitants when he takes it on. ;)

[The Gemini Method]

I remember while yellowtail fishing off of San Clemente Islands a few years back seeing a great white swim near and under our boat. That was an experience that was both thrilling and spectacular when the skipper brought it to our attention. Though he would go on to snatch a few of the yellows caught, he did manage to scare away the swarth of seals and sea lions that were eating our catch with a more voracious appetite. The shark had to be at least 15-18 feet because it was immense.

[CosmicCowboy]

This 12' Tiger Shark was recently caught and released at the upper national seashore...

http://static.texashuntfish.com/pics/2006/09/16/large/99f458fb-9555-4973-8b8e-60e4bb0eaa3e.JPG

[thispego]

Gulp :(

You are no help at all! Here I was looking for some reasons to keep my baby all safe and attached to my breast for a few more years.

Nah, he's 17 and has tons of fishing experience, was raised doing it with his dad and grandpa. But neither one of them do the ocean thing and since it's something he wants to do and will have to learn it on his own, I think he's at the perfect age. I just want to be sure he's not too cocky and has the proper respect for the ocean and it's inhabitants when he takes it on. ;)

he'll be fine, like many have said, it's rare to be attacked. Just remind him that he'll have a stringer of, essentially, cut bait/chum attatched to his body while he wades. also invest in good wading boots and always always shuffle your feet cause nothing is worse than getting barbed by a stingray.

Also, tell him to watch out for the catfish looking hard heads that he and his buddies will inevitably catch a shit load of. They look exactly like catfish but their dorsal and pectoral fins have a heinous barb on them thats coated with slime and bacteria. if they mishandle it while getting it off the hook and get barbed, not only will it hurt like shit but it WILL get infected.

[thispego]

This 12' Tiger Shark was recently caught and released at the upper national seashore...

http://static.texashuntfish.com/pics/2006/09/16/large/99f458fb-9555-4973-8b8e-60e4bb0eaa3e.JPG

good god. released??

[CosmicCowboy]

Not to mention Vibrio vulnificus. A flesh eating bacteria that kills more fishermen every year than sharks.

http://www.fishgame.com/Data/Image/0910-OCTOBER/0910-TFG-REPORT-Vibrio-Wiki.jpg

[thispego]

hahahaha dont tell her that. there hasnt been an incident in like 5 years :lol

[CosmicCowboy]

I'm fishing a tournament there next weekend...

[CosmicCowboy]

hahahaha dont tell her that. there hasnt been an incident in like 5 years :lol

Huh? There are dozens of cases every year...

[CosmicCowboy]

hahahaha dont tell her that. there hasnt been an incident in like 5 years :lol

Seriously, we have gotten really serious about protecting against this...wash and clean any wading cuts immediately, wipe down with sanitizer, etc. We fish down in Baffin and are always knocking up against rocks. Thats some bad stuff.

[mrsmaalox]

:spless: !!CRAP!!

[thispego]

Huh? There are dozens of cases every year...

guess i've just been out of the loop for a while. how many deaths per year? I'm sure people are still getting the bacteria but I havent heard of a death in about 5 years

[CosmicCowboy]

guess i've just been out of the loop for a while. how many deaths per year? I'm sure people are still getting the bacteria but I havent heard of a death in about 5 years

Typically 30+ a year infected and 20% die and the rest end up with a lot of amputations, etc. With more awareness and people seeking help sooner the death rate may have dropped some recently, but they still get massively fucked up.

[CavsSuperFan]

When you enter the water you are at the mercy of Mother Nature…Once we were swimming at a lake where the Fish & Game started to stock the lake with trout…No concern for the safety of swimmers…In no time they were all around us…I am certain that one tried bite off my toe… :dramaquee

[tlongII]

Gulp :(

You are no help at all! Here I was looking for some reasons to keep my baby all safe and attached to my breast for a few more years.

Nah, he's 17 and has tons of fishing experience, was raised doing it with his dad and grandpa. But neither one of them do the ocean thing and since it's something he wants to do and will have to learn it on his own, I think he's at the perfect age. I just want to be sure he's not too cocky and has the proper respect for the ocean and it's inhabitants when he takes it on. ;)

You probably should have stopped breast-feeding him we he turned 16 tbqh.

[mrsmaalox]

You probably should have stopped breast-feeding him we he turned 16 tbqh.

Ah okay. So at what age should I cut the umbilical cord?

[Viva Las Espuelas]

That must smell lovvvvvvely.

[thispego]

Typically 30+ a year infected and 20% die and the rest end up with a lot of amputations, etc. With more awareness and people seeking help sooner the death rate may have dropped some recently, but they still get massively fucked up.

Crazy, I just remember the big scare in port oconnor a few years back when i was there every weekend and a friend of my dads died from it. We were like FLESH EATING BACTERIA?!?!?!

[CosmicCowboy]

Gulp :(

You are no help at all! Here I was looking for some reasons to keep my baby all safe and attached to my breast for a few more years.

Nah, he's 17 and has tons of fishing experience, was raised doing it with his dad and grandpa. But neither one of them do the ocean thing and since it's something he wants to do and will have to learn it on his own, I think he's at the perfect age. I just want to be sure he's not too cocky and has the proper respect for the ocean and it's inhabitants when he takes it on. ;)

BTW, I used to go "fishing" at the coast without my parents when I was 17.

The rods were just props to get permission to head for the beach. Never caught a damn thing except wicked women and hangovers...:lol

[Viva Las Espuelas]

Hence "Awesome"

[DMC]

Saltwater is the shit. Comparing it to fresh is like comparing a whorehouse to a stripjoint. Both are cool, one really delivers.

[Sisk]

I'm going to Port A in a week. Hopefully there aren't a shit load of jellyfish there like there is in Florida.