Surfer attacked in 'Shark Bite Capital of the World' as predator mauls arm

A surfer has became the latest victim at a beach dubbed the 'Shark Bite Capital of the World' as visitors turn a blind eye to the beasts lurking in the water.

Matt Bender, 40, was mauled while hitting the waves on New Smyrna Beach on Monday, Volusia County Beach Safety Ocean Rescue have said. The man survived after the sharp-toothed predator took hold of his arm, and he was rushed to a nearby hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and is "on the mend" according to friends. The attackat the beach northeast of Orlando, US, takes the tally to seven in the area since the start of 2024.

“His hand was NOT bitten off, he’s doing good considering, but he was injured and needs our support and prayers right now,” on of his pals wrote on Facebook. The bay is well known to be "crawling with sharks" but despite numerous warnings, surfers often dismiss the threat of the deadly creatures with the waves said to be the best for many miles.

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The beach, a scenic spot on the Atlantic Ocean, is also plagued by deadly rip currents and hurricanes. It's one of many idyllic-appearing surf beaches located in Volusia County, an area that has seen the most shark attacks than anywhere in the world since 1992, reports News Journal.

Gavin Naylor, director of Florida Museum of Natural History's Florida Program for Shark Research believes the reason why shark attacks are so common in the area is due to a "confluence of factors".

He said: "You find so many bites [in Volusia County] and not so many in other places, it tells you that something about that region is conducive toward shark bites, which is not in other places. You need a bunch of sharks, and they need to be in the mood to bite things, and you need a bunch of people in the same area at the same time."

The evolutionary biologist explained that the Ponce Inlet outflow, which runs into the Atlantic immediately north to New Smyrna Beach, has a dredge about 40 feet deep. "Water comes in and out with the tide, and it brings a lot of nutrients," Gavin explained. "As it curves down, it mixes with the other current, and there is a really great surf break."

The combination of these two factors- great surf and nutrient rich water-make the surrounding beaches "a perfect spot" for surfers and fish, and for predators, chiefly blacktip sharks, who hunt the mullet and menhadens swimming in the waters.

Gavin explained: "Blacktip sharks go to that little patch of water, because there are all sorts of food in there. Also, because of the surf, it's very turbid and the sharks can't see very well.

"So now you've got these sharks that are all jingled up and trying to find their lunch, swimming all over the place chasing mullet and menhaden in low visibility water, plus 50 or 60 people with arms and legs dangling off the edge of their boards looking for their perfect wave."

The scientist reasons its just a matter of time before hungry blacktips mistake a limb or foot for a fish. "Fortunately, most of the sharks in that area are highly piscivorous sharks, such as blacktips and spinners," he said.

"If they were bull sharks or tiger sharks, they might stick around a little bit more and the injuries would be a lot worse."