I freely admit I'm terrified of sharks, despite all the assurances that shark attacks are rare, even when considered on a global scale. The problem is that shark attacks, when they happen, are often horrific, and there's something primal about floating in murky water and being assaulted by a torpedo with fangs. News reports like this don't do anything to reassure me, either. I like the beach for the ladies in bikinis, the opportunity to contemplate the immensity of all that water held down by gravity, and the chance to do some peaceful strolling among the lapping waves. That's about it for me; while I can swim, and have done so at many beaches, I'm too paranoid, these days, to think about straying too far into the water. And, when you factor in the notion that most shark attacks actually occur in shallow water, you've got yet another reason to be chary. From the above-linked article:
SHARK HORROR: Swimmer DIES after shark rips off his penis despite horrified sunbathers’ frantic battle to save his life on Brazilian beach
SUBHEAD: Jose Ernestor da Silva was attacked yesterday afternoon while bathing in waters off the Piedade beach near Recife, on Brazil’s north-east coast
A SWIMMER has died after a shark ripped off his penis and part of his leg as he swam in the sea in Brazil.
Jose Ernestor da Silva was attacked yesterday afternoon while bathing in waters off the Piedade beach near Recife, on Brazil’s north-east coast.
The shark struck just as lifeguards stationed on the beach had told the 18-year-old to come closer to the shore, according to reports.
A shocking video taken by a passer-by shows the moment other holidaymakers pulled Jose from the sea before emergency crews arrived.
In the footage, locals try to stem the blood by tying garments around the wound, while others can be heard telling the clearly stunned teenager to “breathe”.
An ambulance rushed Jose to hospital, where he tragically died despite doctors' efforts to save him.
Miguel Arcanjo, the director of Recife’s Restauracao Hospital, said: “He arrived unconscious, with an extremely extensive, very serious wound.
“After the surgery, which ended around 9.30pm, he was admitted to the ICU.
“He lost a lot of blood, which was replaced, but he had a hypovolemic shock and did not resist.”
Despite undergoing emergency surgery, his penis and femur were “amputated” by the bite of what is believed to be a tiger shark, according to medics.
Rodrigo Matias, from Recife’s fire department, said Mr Ferreira was swimming with his brother and friends in deep waters near the shore, in an area marked by signs warning of shark attacks.
Seeing that the group was drifting further out, lifeguards called for them to return to shallower waters.
He said: “At the exact moment in which the lifeguards asked for them to come closer to the beach, he was bitten.”
Ambulance medic Wagner Monteiro earlier said Mr Ferreira had a heart attack after arriving at the local Aeronautica Hospital, and another as he was being transported to the Restauracao Hospital in the centre of Recife.
He said: “The shark bite amputated his femur and his penis. He lost a lot of blood and is in a critical condition.”
The young man died a few hours later.
Jose’s mother Elisangela dos Anjos, 42, told Brazil’s JC Online website that he had gone to the beach without her knowing, and she only knew about after his his brother Ezequiel, who was with him, called her from the beach following the attack.
Speaking from the hospital, she said: “He would go in secret, because he knew that I thought it was dangerous. I wasn’t worried because I thought he was somewhere around the house.
“When I heard about it I went crazy, all the neighbours heard me screaming.”
Yeesh.
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