The National Park Service said a surfer suffered an apparent shark bite off Rodanthe on Monday afternoon.
The 26-year-old Manteo man was bitten on the foot about 2:30 p.m. off Sudie Payne Road while surfing in the Atlantic Ocean, Cape Hatteras National Seashore said in a news release. Dare County Emergency Medical Services transported the surfer to the Outer Banks Hospital for further treatment.
Buxton-native and pro surfer Brett Barley said there has been major shark activity in the surf off Hatteras Island over the last 48 hours.
Last year, three people were bitten by sharks off the North Carolina coast, all of them south of the Outer Banks. All survived, though a a 17-year-old girl bitten while surfing had to have one of her legs amputated.
Since 1935, there have been 65 unprovoked shark attacks in North Carolina and 10 along the Outer Banks — eight in Dare County and two in Currituck, according to the International Shark Attack File headed up in Florida. Shark attacks are extremely rare, but the ISAF does offer up tips for reducing your risk here.
