Latest news with #Bender
Time of India
7 hours ago
- Time of India
Shark bites surfer at Florida's Volusia County beach: Why is it called the ‘shark bite capital of the world'?
A surf instructor was bitten on the foot by a shark at New Smyrna Beach, Florida, marking the fourth shark encounter in Volusia County this year. The incident occurred around noon, resulting in a 'nasty' but non-life-threatening injury. New Smyrna Beach is known as the 'Shark Bite Capital of the World' due to its high number of unprovoked shark attacks. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Emergency vehicles rushed to the scene Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Why Volusia County is a hotspot for Shark bites A surfer suffered a 'nasty' injury after a shark bit him on the foot in Florida's New Smyrna Beach on Friday, July 18, 2025. The bite marked the fourth shark encounter in Volusia County. The injury, however, was not a life-threatening one. An 18-year-old was surfing on the beach, also known as the 'Shark Bite Capital of the World.' It's in a Florida city notorious for shark encounters, where the incident took unidentified teen, a surf instructor, according to local NBC affiliate WESH, was at New Smyrna Beach around 12 PM (local time) on July 18, 2025, when the encounter took place, Tamra Malphurs, director of the Volusia County Beach Safety Ocean Rescue, told local outlet FOX the shark bite incident, the surf instructor was rushed to a local hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening, Malphurs told FOX 35. The surfer's boss described the injury as 'nasty,' according to WESH. An anonymous eyewitness suggested that several first responders arrived on the scene of the attack, according to PEOPLE. This marks the fourth shark encounter in Florida's Volusia County so far this year, according to the county emergency vehicles and a police car arrived 'pretty quickly' after the surfer was bitten, the bystander told WESH. 'And some of the instructors came and got the lifeguard on the stand here and down.'New Smyrna Beach, a surfing hub south of Daytona Beach, is widely known as the 'Shark Bite Capital of the World,' according to WESH and The Daytona Beach than two weeks before the July 18 attack, a man identified as Matthew Bender was bitten by a shark while surfing in the Florida city, per FOX 35."I felt it clamp down like a bear trap out of nowhere," Bender told the outlet of the attack, which took place on July 6. 'By the time I looked down, it was already gone. I never saw the shark, but it bit really forcefully. It felt like electricity and like extreme pressure.'"And then I think it shook its head. I definitely felt that as it was letting go,' added Bender. 'It was also fast.'There have been 359 'unprovoked' shark attacks recorded in Volusia County since 1882, the most of any Florida county, according to the International Shark Attack File, the Florida Museum of Natural History's database. The next highest is Brevard County, with County 'is conducive toward shark bites' due to a 'confluence of factors,' Gavin Naylor, director of the Florida Museum of Natural History's Florida Program for Shark Research, previously told The Daytona Beach that there are also environmental factors like the nutrients in the region, Naylor told the newspaper in 2024, '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.'Sharks like blacktips and spinner sharks, which are also found in the area, 'are highly piscivorous,' the evolutionary biologist told The Daytona Beach News-Journal. Naylor further explained that their diet typically consists of fish, so when they bite a person, the reaction of the injured individual scares them away. 'If they were bull sharks or tiger sharks,' Naylor said, 'they might stick around a little bit more, and the injuries would be a lot worse.'
USA Today
12-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Michigan State football left off Sporting News' preseason bowl projections
Will Michigan State snap its three-year bowl-less streak this upcoming season? Bill Bender at Sporting News doesn't think so. Bender released updated bowl projections late last month, which failed to include the Spartans. Bender elected to have Wisconsin land in the GameAbove Sports Bowl and Rutgers in the Rate Bowl over Michigan State finding its way into those two lower tier Big Ten bowl games. Michigan State is looking to bounce back from a rough finish to the opening season under new head coach Jonathan Smith. The Spartans opened 2024 with a 3-0 record before struggling to reach bowl eligibility and finishing 5-7 overall. Michigan State comes into this season with a win total over-under of 5.5 so the betting experts think the Spartans will once again be right around bowl eligibility this year. However, most of the preseason bowl projections I've came across are like Bender and don't have the Spartans bowling this year. The Spartans will kick off the 2025 season on August 29 against in-state foe Western Michigan. Kickoff from Spartan Stadium is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET and will be televised on FS1. Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on X @RobertBondy5.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Yahoo
Shark Mauls Surfer 'Like a Bear Trap' in Florida (Video)
Over the holiday weekend, avid surfer Matt Bender was in the water at New Smyrna Beach in Florida when, out of nowhere, a shark latched onto his arm and aggressively attacked him. It's no huge surprise, since NSB is commonly known as the 'shark attack capital of the world,' but still, this wasn't just your average nip. Bender's arm got totally mangled. Good news is: Bender, who is 40 years old, is on the road to recovery. Speaking from his hospital bed, Bender told the tale of what happened. Hear all about it below. 'Just like a lightning strike, the shark came out of nowhere,' Bender recounted. 'I just felt it chomp down on my arm. It felt like a bear trap. Unfortunately, it shredded my arm. It immediately let go, and was gone in a flash.' It was believed that the shark responsible was a bull shark. Bender acted quickly, getting to shore and using his leash as a tourniquet to quell the bleeding, then flagging down others to come help. From there, it was to the it's not the first time that Bender's encountered sharks while surfing NSB. 'I've sen great whites out there,' he said. 'Believe it or not, I've seen one eat a stingray in front of me. You don't really think about them in Florida, but we have every species out there apparently. I've seen great hammerheads that are 15 feet long.' Florida (and Volusia County where New Smyrna Beach is) consistently rank high when it comes to annual shark attacks. According to the International Shark Attack File's report from last year: 'With warm waters and ample shoreline, Florida had a total of 14 bites, more than any other state. Of these, eight occurred in Volusia County, which bears the unofficial title of shark bite capital of the world. Though unconfirmed, many of these bites were likely from blacktip sharks, whose breeding grounds stretch along the northeast Florida coastline. Many of the sharks in this area are juveniles and haven't yet fully developed the ability to distinguish between humans and their natural prey, which includes fish, stingrays and other sharks.' As for Bender, he's undergone surgery and as soon as he can, he's going back out Mauls Surfer 'Like a Bear Trap' in Florida (Video) first appeared on Surfer on Jul 8, 2025
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Florida Surfer Recovering After Being Attacked by Shark in 'Shark Bite Capital of the World'
A Florida surfer is recovering at a local hospital after his left arm was bitten by a shark on Sunday, July 6 Matthew Bender told a local news outlet that it felt like "electricity" running through his body when the shark attacked him at New Smyrna Beach in Volusia County "I felt it clamp down like a bear trap out of nowhere," recalled the surfer, who still plans to return to the waterA Florida man has been hospitalized after he was attacked by a shark in what is known as the "shark bite capital of the world." Matthew Bender, of Winter Park, was bitten by a shark on Sunday, July 6 while surfing at New Smyrna Beach, according to FOX affiliate WOFL. Volusia County Beach Safety Ocean Rescue said the 40-year-old was bitten around 3 p.m. local time, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel and NBC affiliate WESH. Bender told WOFL he 'never saw the shark,' which bit his left arm 'forcefully,' leaving it severely injured from his thumb to his elbow. He said the bite 'felt like electricity.' "I felt it clamp down like a bear trap out of nowhere. By the time I looked down, it was already gone,' Bender recalled. He thought the shark 'shook its head' before letting go, adding, 'It was also fast." Nearby surfers and lifeguards rushed to Bender's aid, according to the surfer. He said one of the surfers used a surfboard leash to create a tourniquet. The surfer was transported to a hospital after the bite, according to WESH and the Sun Sentinel. Bender said he underwent emergency surgery to repair muscles, tendons, and nerves that were injured in the attack, WOFL reported. He said, "It's a miracle my hand is still working fine." "I think the Lord kept it from being serious. I mean, he works in mysterious ways,' the surfer told the news outlet. But Bender does not plan to let the shark attack stop him from getting back out in the water. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 'For some reason, I got to take a little break, but I'll be back out there," he told WOFL. "I'm a New Smyrna surfer at heart, and it's not going to end now just because of this." Volusia County officials did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment. Volusia County is considered the unofficial 'shark bite capital of the world,' according to the International Shark Attack File in Gainesville. There were eight shark bites reported in the county in 2024, more than half of the 14 reported in Florida that same year, according to statistics. Read the original article on People
Scottish Sun
08-07-2025
- Health
- Scottish Sun
Surfer mauled in ‘shark bite capital of the world' after beast ‘clamped down like a bear trap out of nowhere'
The surfer said the attack felt like 'electricity' SAVAGE ATTACK Surfer mauled in 'shark bite capital of the world' after beast 'clamped down like a bear trap out of nowhere' Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A SURFER has been mauled by a shark in a tourist hotspot that has developed a reputation for attacks carried out by the predators. Matthew Bender had to go under the knife after his arm was left savaged. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Surfer Matthew Bender was left hospitalized after being attacked by a shark off the coast of Florida Credit: WOFL-TV 3 New Smyrna Beach is known as the shark bite capital of the world (stock) Credit: Getty He was in the water at New Smyrna Beach, Florida, on Sunday when the predator struck, as reported by the Fox affiliate WOFL-TV. Lifeguards sprang into action and fellow surfers used a leash to act as a tourniquet. Speaking from his hospital bed, Bender recalled the horror. 'I felt it clamp down like a bear trap out of nowhere,' he told the outlet. 'I never saw the shark, but it bit really forcefully. It felt like electricity.' He revealed he was squeezing the area left mangled by the shark bite. Bender had to undergo surgery but his injuries are not thought to be life-threatening. But, doctors had to repair nerves and tendons. Bender faces a period of time off his surfboard but hasn't been deterred by the attack. "For some reason, I got to take a little break, but I'll be back out there," he vowed. New Smyrna Beach is known as the shark bite capital of the world. Since the 1880s, there have been more than 300 shark attacks along the stretch of coastline. More recently, there have been up to 10 attacks at New Smyrna Beach per year. 3 More to follow... For the latest news on this story, keep checking back at The U.S. Sun, your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, sports news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures, and must-see videos. Like us on Facebook at TheSunUS and follow us on X at @TheUSSun
