This Is Why I Always Stayed In the Boat

There are always sharks in the water, you just can't see them. Shark bites man near Bean Point on Anna Maria Island

A man in his early 20s was bitten in the lower leg by a shark near Bean Point on the north end of Anna Maria Island on Sunday [July 27th], according to the West Manatee Fire Rescue District.

The time of day is interesting, because I always thought the middle of the afternoon was the safest time. Maybe there is no safe time. Though the Fire Marshall did say that dusk or dawn is when shark activity is greater.

The Manatee fire marshal said the victim got into the water from a boat and did not wade in from an Anna Maria Island Beach.

The boater rushed the victim to the Kingfish ramp so he could be taken to a hospital.

He was in the water off the northern tip of Anna Maria Island when he was bitten on the lower leg.

Anna Maria Island is a barrier island on the Gulf of Mexico America immediately south of the entrance to Tampa Bay. It is also just west of the entrance to the Manatee River. It has several beaches, including Bean Point, and a fair number of restaurants. Bean Point is on the extreme north end of the island. I lived about 10 miles from the island when I was living on my boat, and had the boat in a marina on the Manatee River.

The five year average for shark bites in Florida is 22 per year. Which is why I always tried to stay in the boat.