Nine-Year-Old Bodyboarder Injured in Shark Encounter at Isle of Palms

On August 9, 2007, a shark incident occurred in the Atlantic Ocean near Isle of Palms, Charleston County, South Carolina, approximately 15 miles north of Charleston. A nine-year-old boy from Goose Creek was bodyboarding with his father, Phillip Crawford, and his brother in shallow water near the county park at the Isle of Palms pier. At approximately 2:30 p.m., as the family was exiting the ocean, the father heard his son screaming. He observed a shark's tail fin thrashing in the water around his son's foot. Crawford immediately scooped his son out of the water and noticed his foot was bleeding. An emergency room nurse who was present on the beach provided immediate first aid and covered the wound until emergency personnel arrived. The victim sustained lacerations to his lower leg and ankle. He received initial treatment at the scene before being transported to East Cooper Hospital. Subsequently, he was transferred to the Medical University of South Carolina for further medical evaluation and care. The shark involved in the incident was not identified to species level. Eyewitness accounts estimated the shark's length at approximately 3.5 feet (1.07 meters). Following the incident, authorities implemented a precautionary closure of approximately 200 yards on each side of the Isle of Palms pier, asking beachgoers to exit the water for 45 minutes while the situation was assessed. The incident was classified as unprovoked.