Shark attacks surge on US beaches, sparking July 4th terror

Summer in the United States means celebrating Independence Day and, above all, beachcombing by the oceans. However, not everything is as colourful as it seems in beach movies. In Florida, sharks attack people who enter the water. The footage is terrifying.

Residents and visitors of the United States have a severe problem: sharks have turned beachgoers into drive-thru restaurants in the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. Instead of driving cars, sharks swim up and feast on unsuspecting individuals in the water.

As many as four shark attacks occurred on Independence Day, July 4, 2024, on the beach in the city of South Padre Island, practically on the border of the US and Mexico. Currently, authorities do not know whether the attacks were carried out by one or several sharks or which species the fish belonged to.

Experts assure that shark attacks are not related to their aggression but rather to a mistake while searching for food. Fish, which have a terrible reputation partly due to the "Jaws" film series, probably thought they were attacking other marine organisms, not humans.

Footage from the beach at South Padre Island shows the moment when people pull an attacked woman from the water. The water around her is brownish, but the bleeding source is initially not visible. After a moment, everything becomes clear: the woman bends her leg at the knee, revealing a massive wound with a characteristic bite mark. Her calf is practically non-existent — the shark left shreds of skin and muscle, but most of it was bitten off. The injured woman was taken to the hospital, where the medical staff tried to save her leg. The attack victim faces months of rehabilitation to be able to walk again.

The aggressive shark swam into the open ocean. The fish was chased away by helicopters and coast guard boats. Authorities assure that they do not intend to take action to find and kill the fish.