Incident Report
Teen Body Surfer Bitten Off Gran Canaria
A 13-year-old boy sustained lacerations to his right foot while body surfing off Gran Canaria in September 2017. The unidentified shark encounter occurred in the Atlantic Ocean near the Canary Islands. The victim survived the incident with minor injuries.
Please take a moment to consider the human impact of this event on the victim and their loved ones. The data presented here documents real events that affected real people and families.
Incident Profile
Circumstances
Environmental
Individual
Location
Description
On September 16, 2017, a 13-year-old male was injured by a shark while body surfing off the coast of Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands, Spain. The incident took place in the Atlantic Ocean near San Bartolomé de Tirajana, in the Las Palmas region. The young victim sustained lacerations to his right foot during the unprovoked encounter. The specific species of shark responsible for the injury was not identified at the time of the incident. Despite the injury, the encounter was not fatal, and the victim survived with minor wound severity. Body surfing incidents involving sharks remain relatively uncommon in the Canary Islands, though the region's Atlantic waters are home to various shark species. This incident underscores the importance of ocean safety awareness for recreational water users of all ages. Detailed information regarding the victim's treatment and recovery is not available in the incident database record.