Incident Report
Nighttime Mako Shark Incident Results in Digit Amputation
Unknown, Unknown·UNKNOWN
A male victim suffered the loss of a finger or toe during a nighttime encounter with a shortfin mako shark. The unprovoked incident occurred in July 1970, though specific details about the location and activity remain under verification.
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
Environmental
Individual
Location
Description
On July 5, 1970, an unprovoked shark incident resulted in a moderate injury to a male victim. The encounter involved a shortfin mako shark (Isurus oxyrinchus), a fast-swimming pelagic species known for its speed and agility in open waters. The victim sustained the amputation of a finger or toe during the nighttime incident. The shortfin mako is a large, predatory shark species found in temperate and tropical oceans worldwide. These sharks are known for their impressive speed—capable of reaching velocities exceeding 40 miles per hour—and their powerful jaws. While unprovoked incidents with makos are relatively uncommon compared to other shark species, they are capable of inflicting serious injuries when they do interact with humans. The specific circumstances surrounding this incident, including the exact geographic location and the victim's activity at the time of the encounter, remain part of the ongoing verification process. The incident was documented in the Smithsonian Shark Attack File (#1628) and the records of researcher H.D. Baldridge, who compiled extensive shark attack data throughout the 20th century. Despite the severity of the injury, the victim survived the encounter. This case contributes to scientific understanding of mako shark behavior and the relatively rare instances of human-shark interaction involving this species.