Little worry at Jersey shore after NC shark attacks

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- News of two shark attacks a little over an hour apart in North Carolina had people talking Monday, but there was little concern among beachgoers at the New Jersey shore.

Those attacks in the town of Oak Island on Sunday left two young people seriously injured.

A 12-year-old girl lost her hand and suffered a leg injury Sunday afternoon; then, about an hour later and 2 miles away, a shark bit off the left arm of a 16-year-old boy. Both were about 20 yards offshore, in waist-deep water.

In New Jersey, shark attacks are extremely rare.

"Very rare. I can't even remember one, and I've been here 47 years," said Capt. Bill Howarth of the Ventnor City Beach Patrol.

There were no shark bites in New Jersey last year, though there was one in 2005 and another in 2006. It's been almost 90 years since someone was killed by a shark here.

While there are plenty of sharks, they only come around when the water gets between 65 and 75 degrees and they don't come close enough to shore to bother bathers.

"Most of the time they stay offshore because that's where their food is," said Ted Heim of the Atlantic City Aquarium.

Heim says sharks are not hunting humans, but they like to sample their food first.

They prefer marine animals with a lot of fat and blubber. Humans are too boney, so they take a bite and move on, in most cases.

The attacks in North Carolina were 500 miles away, but life guards in Ventnor have been told to be a little more watchful, just in case.

"We did tell them to keep a little extra vigilant eye out there. Look out a little further, keep an eye out in between beaches, and just be a little bit more aware about what we're hearing on TV," Howarth said.

While there was an extra measure of caution, there apparently was not much concern among beachgoers on Monday.

"I've been a scuba diver around sharks and they never bothered me, so I'm not terribly concerned by it," said Mike McNeish of Bethlehem, Pa.

"I'm just careful. I watch how far I go in, too," said Julia Jones of Morgantown, Pa.

There were 53 shark bites in U.S. waters. Most were in Florida, with one in Delaware.