Shark Bites 10-Year-Old at Daytona Beach Shores

A 10-year-old Georgia boy is recovering from minor cuts following a shark attack at Daytona Beach Shores Wednesday.

Unlike other recent attacks, this one was relatively minor, officials say. The child suffered cuts on his calf, WESH is reporting. The boy was treated on the scene and did not require hospitalization.

The attack comes on the heels of a recent closing of beaches in St. Lucie County due to shark sightings. It also follows two highly publicized attacks in North Carolina. The North Carolina attacks resulted in two separate children losing limbs.

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Wednesday’s incident in Daytona is the fourth reported shark attack in Volusia County this year alone.

Florida leads the world in the number of shark attacks reported annually. Even so, experts say the odds of being bitten remain relatively slim.

“Shark attacks in general are really a nonentity when we think of causes of mortality involved with humans,” explained George Burgess, director of the Florida Program for Shark Research at the Florida Museum of Natural History on the University of Florida campus. “It’s a lot more dangerous driving to the beach.”

While Florida logs an estimated 20 “bites” a year and about one fatality every decade, Burgess explained that many of those bites are akin to dog bites in their severity.

In 2014, there were 72 shark attacks worldwide. Florida saw 28 of those attacks, but no fatalities.

It is unclear what type of shark was involved in Wednesday’s Daytona incident.