Should you worry about sharks on county beaches?

By John Toth

The Bulletin

What are the chances of anyone in Brazoria County enjoying a late-summer beach outing, wading in the Gulf waters and being attacked by a shark?

I know you have not been staying up nights worrying about this, as you shouldn’t. Brazoria County beaches are among the safest along the Texas coastline when it comes to shark-related encounters.

You may be worried about strong currents along some sections of the county’s 17 miles of beachfront. You may dislike the fact that our waters are not as clear and blue as those in the Caribbean. But when it comes to sharks, we’re not in the red zone.

Global and national statistics from the University of Florida place the overall risk of a shark bite at roughly 1 in 11.5 million, making beachgoers significantly more likely to be struck by lightning or injured by stingrays or rip currents than bitten by a shark.

In Brazoria County, the risk is even lower.

There has been something of a resurgence in the shark-attack theme in the national media this year, which may cause some people to avoid our beautiful and often uncrowded beaches. The media always revive that scare in the summer, but here, in Brazoria County, you would have to be very unlucky to get bitten by a shark while wading in our greenish-brown waters.

“Jaws” started the frenzy on June 20, 1975, when the blockbuster film was released to scare the public, make a lot of money and win some Oscars. It actually won three: Best Film Editing, Best Sound and Best Original Dramatic Score.

It did not win one for the famous line, “You’re gonna need a bigger boat,” spoken by Police Chief Martin Brody, played by Roy Scheider. There is no need to worry about that, either. Any boat will do in this county, even an inflatable one.

I did a little research on the Internet machine to see what shark action our beaches have experienced since the International Shark Attack File began keeping records in 1911.

• In 1989 at Surfside Beach, a 12-year-old boy was sitting on a surfboard in neck-deep water approximately 100 yards offshore. A shark estimated to be four-feet long bit his lower left leg and foot. The boy survived.

• In 2003, a fisherman caught a four-foot bull shark and reeled it into his boat off Surfside. The hooked shark bit him on the arm. This does not really fall into the unprovoked-attack category, but it was interesting enough to include. The shark got one last bite.

• In 2004 at Bryan Beach, an 11-year-old boy was wade-fishing in waist-deep water with his father and a family friend. He reportedly had three live fish in a net when a shark attacked.

The shark severely bit his right forearm and also injured his leg. Doctors were able to save his hand. Witnesses estimated that the shark was between three and six feet long, and some reports identified it as a bull shark. The boy survived after being hospitalized.

• In 2011 at Follett’s Island near Surfside, a 22-year-old woman was bitten on the knee at an isolated beach. She survived. Available reports provide few additional details, including what she was doing when she was bitten or the species of shark involved.

• In 2013, a 15-year-old boy was swimming approximately 50 yards offshore when a shark bit his left leg and hand. He reportedly fought free by punching and kicking the shark.

He suffered non-life-threatening lacerations and was airlifted to a Houston hospital in stable condition.

That’s it, going all the way back to 1911. That’s how safe Brazoria County beaches are when it comes to shark attacks.

We’re even safer than other coastal counties. Galveston County has recorded 19 attacks, while Nueces County has recorded 12 and Cameron County seven.

Have a great, shark-free rest of the summer, and enjoy our county beaches.

If you have a shark-related story, or any other beach story, send it to me at john.bulletin@gmail.com, and we’ll share it with our readers.