Neighboring Florida beaches are on high alert following two different shark attacks at the start of the weekend.
Walton County Sheriff’s Office announced that three people were injured during the two Florida shark attacks that occurred at Walton County’s Watersound Beach and Seacrest Beach on Friday, June 7.
The first attack involved a 45-year-old woman. She was swimming near the first sandbar at Watersound Beach at around 1:20 p.m. when the attack happened. A shark bit her around her midsection, pelvis, and left arm.
It was reported that after returning to the beach, the woman was airlifted to the HCA Fort Walton Beach Medical Center Part. She had been in critical condition and part of her left arm was amputated.
That same day, just before 3 p.m., two teenage girls were swimming around four miles away near the first sandbar at Seacrest Beach. The girls, 15 and 17 years old, were injured by a shark. Both were transported to separate area hospitals.
Crawford stated that one of the teens had “significant injuries to one upper and one lower extremity, both requiring the application of tourniquets.”
The other teen had “flesh wounds” to her right foot.
“This is an anomaly … everything from it being three victims, to where it’s at,” said Walton County Sheriff Michael A. Adkinson Jr., per ABC News. “We know that we share the water with sharks. As tragic as this is, we know that there are always sharks in the water.”
The sheriff further pointed out that the Florida county’s most recent shark attack happened in 2021. The last shark-related fatality was in 2005.
Florida Officials Ordered All Beaches in the Area to Close Following the First Shark Attack
Meanwhile, Walton County Sheriff Michael A. Adkinson Jr. stated that officials had ordered all beaches in the area were ordered to close following the first attack. However, the orders were not in place at all beaches at the time of the second attack.
Beachgoers at the area beaches are now being instructed to use extreme caution following the shark attacks. In a Facebook post, the South Walton Fire District Department warned about yellow and purple flags for Sunday, June 9.
“SWFD lifeguards are flying yellow and purple flags for moderate surf hazards and the presence of dangerous marine life on Sunday, June 9,” the post reads.
The department then wrote, “We encourage all of our beach patrons to be situationally aware in the water today, swim near a lifeguard, stay hydrated, and look out for each other. Please do not underestimate the open water and any of the marine life that could be present.”