Incident Report
Teenage Rower Bitten by Shark in Gulf of Mexico
Gulfport, Mississippi·United States
A 17-year-old boy was attacked by a shark while towing a raft in the Gulf of Mexico between Biloxi and Mississippi City. He sustained moderate leg injuries and was brought ashore for medical treatment.
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 July 5, 1960, a 17-year-old male from Louisiana was attacked by a shark in the Gulf of Mexico while engaged in a boating activity. The incident occurred in open water between Biloxi, Mississippi and Mississippi City as the youth was pulling a raft to ride back to shore alongside two other companions. The shark bit the teenager's leg, causing tissue and muscle damage. Following the attack, he was quickly brought to shore by his companions, who provided immediate first aid at the scene. The victim subsequently received medical treatment in Mississippi City for his moderate injuries. The species of shark responsible for the attack could not be determined from available records. The incident was documented under full moon conditions on July 8, 1960, though the attack itself occurred on July 5th. This unprovoked encounter represents one of the documented shark incidents in the Gulf of Mexico during the mid-20th century and was recorded by the Global Shark Accident File.