The Dorsal Fin

KHON2 reports that a veteran canoe paddler had a encounter with a shark that bit his canoe twice. Tom Bartlett was paddling about a half-mile from shore off of Kauai, Hawaii when the shark bit the front of his boat, released it and then came back and bit the canoe again. While Bartlett tells KHON2 that the shark wasn’t “ripping or tearing” at his canoe, the damage was enough to cause the vessel to take on water and begin sinking. Bartlett was able to paddle to shore despite the compromise to his canoe’s hull.

Bartlett did not know what kind of shark bit his canoe, but he says the bite marks indicate that its jaw was about 13-inches wide. While his canoe sustained some damage, Bartlett walked away from the encounter unscathed and was thankful that he himself was not bitten.

Hawaii’s KHON2 reports that a surfer had a close encounter with a shark off Hawaii’s Nimitz Beach. Moses Filipe was surfing with his son when he felt a crunching sensation on his board, when he looked down he saw the head the shark biting down on his surfboard. After being knocked off the board Filipe and his son paddled safely to shore.

Filipe was physically unscathed by the encounter, but the shark left teeth marks in his board. Based on the bite marks, Navy authorities determined that the shark responsible for the bite was a tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) estimated at 7′-8′ in length. Filipe told KHON2 that is was going to “take some time” before he gets back in the water.

ABC’s Good Morning America featured an interview with shark attack survivor Lydia Strunk this morning. Strunk was bitten by a shark on her right leg last month while swimming off Isla de Vieques, an island-municipality of Puerto Rico, in Puerto Mosquito (aka Bioluminescent Bay and Mosquito Bay).

Puerto Mosquito is well-known for its bioluminescent aquatic life and Strunk was kayaking in the area at night with a tour group. Some of the members of the group decided to swim in the bay in order to experience the glowing wildlife firsthand. However, after about 10 minutes of swimming Strunk told GMA that she felt a strong impact on her right leg. According to reports a 6′ tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) bit Strunk’s leg causing tendon and nerve damage.

Strunk had to kayak back to land after sustaining the shark bite and then had to endure travel along bumpy roads before reaching an emergency room. However, she credited those who tended to her and noted that she felt fortunate to receive “impeccable emergency response.” Strunk had four tendons repaired in addition and is expected to recover, although she may have limited mobility in her right foot.

Strunk seems to be taking her recovery in stride and noted that she and friends had nicknamed the shark “Chewy” whose name appears on her cast. Additionally, another friend wrote that Strunk was one-in-a-million to which Strunk said she is quick to correct to one-in-11-million.

WARNING: Video contains offensive language.

YouTube user Steve02988 has uploaded the above video which features a fisherman trying to get a very small shark to bite him. He succeeds in getting the shark to bite his finger and ear before releasing the shark back to the water. It should go without saying, but…kids, don’t try this at home.

Research at Vanderbilt University has helped fit shark attack survivor Craig Hutto with a “bionic” leg that can do all the things a normal leg can do including navigating various terrains, walking at different speeds, and transitions from sitting to standing.

Hutto’s right leg was amputated below the knee after he suffered injuries due to a shark bite in 2005. Hutto now works as a lab assistant for Vanderbilt mechanical engineering professor Michael Goldfarb who developed the artificial leg. Goldfarb was looking for an amputee to test his creation on when he was introduced to Hutto by the technician who fitted Hutto with his original prosthetic leg.

Goldfarb plans to release the prototype leg to a manufacturer in the near future and expects the cost of the leg to be comparable to a traditional prosthetic. Goldfarb noted that Hutto’s participation in the development of the leg was “invaluable.”

In addition to working in Goldfarb’s lab, Hutto is a nursing student who hopes to work Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt after graduation. This is the same hospital where Hutto was treated after his shark attack. Hutto credits medical personnel with saving his life and hopes to be able to “give back” with his chosen career path.

You can check out the full story at Vanderbilt University’s website.