Hope the word does not get out
STUART, Fla. -- A kite surfer died Wednesday night after a shark attack off Stuart Beach.
The Martin County Sheriff's Office identified the victim as Stephen Howard Schafer, 38, of Stuart, Fla.
A lifeguard noticed Schafer, who appeared to be in distress, at about 4:15 p.m. Officials said he was in an unguarded area south of Stuart Beach.
"He was just hanging onto his board -- not normal activity for a kite surfer," said Daniel Wouters, of Martin County Fire Rescue. "Normally the wind comes and they pick back up and they go off, but he had been hanging onto his board."
The lifeguard went into the rough water and paddled to the victim on a rescue board. Officials said sharks were still circling the surfer as the lifeguard put him on the board and paddled back to shore.
"When they got there, they found a number of sharks in the water and they found the victim had been bitten several times," Wouters said. "They were able to maneuver him onto the kite to basically somewhat protect him and bring him on shore."
CPR was administered immediately and rescue crews took the victim to Martin Memorial Hospital North in critical condition.
"I can't emphasize enough that they did their best," said Jim Smith, who witnessed the rescue. "They did their best. The guy just wasn't moving. It was very heartbreaking."
Schafer was pronounced dead at the hospital, according to the Martin County Sheriff's Office.
Martin County officials said fatal shark attacks are rare in the area, and the beach will be open on Thursday.
Fla. Considered Shark Bite Capital Of The World
Florida is considered the shark bite capital of the world. In the last 100 years, Volusia County has seen 231 shark attacks. There have been 96 shark attacks in Brevard County and 58 in Palm Beach County over the last century. In Martin County, where the most recent attack happened, there have been 27 incidents.
While shark attacks are relatively common in Florida, officials said that they are rarely fatal.
The last fatal attack was in 2005, when 14-year-old Jamie Marie Daigle' was killed by a bull shark while playing with a friend on boogie boards about 200 yards off-shore in Walton County. Witnesses estimated that shark was about 6 to 8 feet long.
In 1998, 9-year-old James Tellasmon was killed while swimming off Jaycee Park in Vero Beach.
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