Incident Report
Surfer Bitten on Foot at Cocoa Beach
A 17-year-old surfer sustained puncture wounds to his left foot during a morning surfing session at Cocoa Beach, Florida. The approximately 2.4-meter shark bite required five stitches to treat.
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Incident Profile
Circumstances
Environmental
Individual
Location
Description
On Friday, October 16, 1981, a 17-year-old male surfer from Cocoa Beach, Florida, encountered a shark while surfing in the Atlantic Ocean near Cocoa Beach in Brevard County. The incident occurred during the morning hours in an unprovoked attack. The shark, estimated to be approximately 2.4 meters in length, bit the surfer's left foot. The victim sustained puncture wounds that required five stitches to close. Despite the injury, the incident was classified as minor, and the surfer was treated and recovered. This attack occurred during a notable period of shark activity along Florida's Atlantic coast in 1981. According to reports from the time, the increased incidents were attributed to migrations of small bait fish that sharks feed on, which were being pushed toward shore by strong northeast winds. The incident represented the 14th reported shark attack in Florida that year. The attack was documented in The Bulletin newspaper on October 19, 1981, and recorded in the Global Shark Accident File as case GSAF 1981.10.16.528.