Shark Week 2019 Marked By Two Shark Attacks In Florida Over The Weekend

Shark Week 2019 kicked off Sunday and the sharks off the Florida coast marked the start of the TV event by attacking beachgoers the day before.

Two men were injured in separate attacks off the eastern coast of Florida, just 110 miles apart. One man was bitten on the arm, while the other suffered injuries on his thigh.

The first incident happened around 3:30pm ET. Professional surfer Frank O’Rourke was surfing near Jacksonville Beach Pier when a shark bit his right arm. The 23-year-old said he was lying on his board in the water when he felt something “jump out of the water and latch onto my arm by my elbow.”

"It just grabbed onto me and thrashed in the water and swam away,” O’Rourke told First Coast News.

O’Rourke, who has been surfing for over 20 years, says the attack lasted for about 30 seconds and has left deep puncture wounds on his elbow.

"I'm very lucky that I still have an arm … You can see the jawline, like where the jawline is of the shark ... There's still blood on my surfboard.”

An hour after the first incident, at around 4:30pm ET, 49-year-old William Angell suffered the same fate after a shark attacked him while boogie boarding near New Smyrna Beach, confirmed Captain Andrew Ethridge of the Volusia County Beach Safety.

Angell suffered lacerations on his right thigh but were not considered serious.

He was treated on the scene and was able to drive himself to the Bert Fish Medical Center for additional treatment.

New Smyrna Beach is known as the shark attack capital of the world. It is estimated that anyone who has swam in its waters has been within 10ft of a shark, National Geographic noted.

Surfers are most vulnerable to shark attacks with most incidents occuring less than 100 feet from the shore. September also marks the month with the most attacks in Florida.