The Summer’s 7 Scariest Shark Attacks

Photo by Getty Images. Design by Erik Mace for Yahoo Travel.

You never know what lies beneath the ocean, and this summer we were reminded just how unpredictable nature can be.

From June to July, beachgoers were left shocked and terrified after eight shark attacks were reported over a 28-day span in North Carolina.

So far in 2015, there have been 62 shark attacks in the world, with 33 of those occurring in the United States. While the eight attacks in North Carolina garnered a lot of attention because they all occurred this summer, there have been six in South Carolina and a whopping 14 in Florida in the past eight months.

That may seem like a lot, but according George Burgess, curator of the International Shark Attack File, it’s just par for the course. “All in all, we just finished August, and things are lining up to be pretty average year.”

So, no, there hasn’t been a record number of shark attacks, but that doesn’t make the stories we’ve heard this summer any less shocking or alarming. Swimmers have suffered multiple bite marks, some have lost limbs, and one woman in Hawaii even lost her life. The attacks seem to have no rhyme or reason, and that doesn’t make us feel any more confident about going into the water.

To counter that anxiety, Burgess offers up a few tips for staying safe. “Be smart,” he told Yahoo Travel. “We’re blessed with brains and sharks are blessed with teeth. We need to modify our behavior, they aren’t going to modify theirs.”

Sharks look for isolated creatures, so it’s safer to travel in a group. (Photo: Thinkstock)

Burgess suggests staying out of the water between dusk and dawn, when sharks are known to be the most active, and he suggests swimming with others, as sharks are predators who look for isolated prey.

Additionally, Burgess encourages swimmers to take stock of their surroundings. Things like fishing tiers, birds diving in the water, or fish jumping can signal an abundance of food, which could attract sharks.

Still, even if you follow all of the rules, that doesn’t mean that sharks will, too. And as we see time and again in the stories below, shark attacks often happen when you least expect it.

And the terrifying experience is one that will leave a long-lasting scar.

1. Oak Island, N.C.

Hunter Treschl lost part of his arm in a shark attack on June 14. (Photo: Treschl family via CNN )

It wasn’t the summer vacation 16-year-old Hunter Treschl had planned.

On June 14, the teen was playing with his cousin in waist-deep water when he felt something brush against his leg. A moment later, an approximately 7-foot shark darted out of the water and bit off his arm. It was a clean slice, and as Treschl started to lose blood, his cousin helped him ashore. Bystanders helped to slow down the bleeding until an ambulance arrived and rushed Treschl to the hospital.

Treshl survived the harrowing ordeal, and amazingly, so did his sense of humor. "I would have a better chance of winning the lottery than getting bit by another shark,“ Hunter told CNN’s Anderson Cooper. He even bought a scratch-off ticket when he returned home. “Didn’t win anything, though,” he joked.

2. Oak Island, N.C.

Kiersten being escorted to the medical helicopter. (Photo: Steve Bouser)

Just 60 minutes before Treschl’s shark attack, Kiersten Yow suffered an attack on the same beach two miles away. The 12-year-old was swimming about 20 yards offshore when she was bitten two times on the arm and leg. Yow was taken to the hospital by helicopter, where doctors were able to save her leg; however, she lost a portion of her left arm in the attack. On July 24, Kiersten was released from school and is now working on adjusting to her new normal.

3. Maui, Hawaii

Margaret Cruise was a nature lover and an experienced swimmer. (Photo: Handout)

The ocean is commonly referred to as “the Great Unknown,” and even those with years of experience in the water can encounter unpredictable and even deadly events.

Margaret Cruise was a nature lover who went for daily swims off the island of Maui. On the morning of April 29, she was snorkeling with friends when she got separated from the group. Shortly after 8:30 a.m., the 65-year-old was found floating in the waters of Ahihi Kinau Bay with injuries consistent with a shark attack on her face, upper torso, and arm. "She went every morning … she was never afraid of anything in the ocean because she did it so often,” her brother told Reuters.

While this attack didn’t take place in the summer, it was the first fatal shark attack in the U.S. since 2013.

Related: WATCH: The Top 10 Most Terrifying Shark Attacks … Ever!

4. Ocracoke Island, N.C.

EMTs respond to a shark attack on Ocracoke Island. (Photo: WRAL)

It’s one thing to be bitten by a shark, but it’s even more terrifying to be pulled underwater by the predator.

It was a leisurely day for 68-year-old Andrew Costello, who was enjoying an afternoon swim with his adult son. That’s when, out of nowhere, he was attacked by a shark and pulled underwater. The 7-foot-long shark bit him several times in the rib cage, lower leg, hip, and both hands before swimming away.

The July 1 attack happened in waist-deep water right in front of the lifeguard tower, so Costello received help almost immediately. According to reports, Costello is in good condition but will need multiple operations.

5. Jacksonville, Fla.

Not only is Kaley Szarmack a survivor … she’s a hero! (Photo: WJXT)

Picture this: You’ve just been attacked by a shark, and you finally make it onshore to nurse your injury. Then you notice that your friend is still in the water. Do you go back in to save him or her?

A 10-year-old girl from Florida did just that, showing extreme bravery and making news across America. Kaley Szarmack was wading in waist-deep water when she felt a sharp pain in her right leg. When she looked down, she saw that a 3-foot shark had bitten a chunk out of her leg. Reacting quickly, she instructed her 6-year-old friend to get out of the water, but once she hobbled to shore, Szarmack noticed that her friend didn’t heed her warning.

So, the fifth grader went back into the shark-infested waters and pulled her friend to safety. The 6-year-old didn’t sustain any injuries, but Szarmack underwent an hour-long surgery on her leg and received 90 stitches. “I am just so proud of her and so thankful that she is doing well,” her father told WJXT. “Going to have a pretty big scar and quite the story to tell, though.”

6. Morro Bay, Calif.

All surfers understand the risk of a shark attack, but for Elinor Dempsey, the reality was a bit too close for comfort.

Dempsey was surfing at Morro Strand State Beach on Aug. 29 when she saw a gray shadow pass underneath her board. Initially, Dempsey thought it was a dolphin, but when the creature popped out of the water, its teeth let her know that it wasn’t the friendly Flipper she had hoped for. “I realized it wasn’t a dolphin when it bit the board,” Dempsey told the San Luis Obispo Tribune. “And I just started swimming, I didn’t look back.”

Eventually, other surfers assisted Dempsey, and when she looked at her board, she was shocked to see a huge chunk missing. According to the White Shark Conservation Trust, the bite marks suggest that the shark may have been a great white!

Related: Danger Zones: Where You’re Most Likely to Be Attacked by a Shark

7. Cocoa Beach, Fla.

First responders wrap a young boy’s leg in gauze after he was attacked by a shark. (Photo: Atticus Gonzalez)

Swimming in the ocean is usually a refreshing and thrilling experience. But one little boy in Florida got a few more thrills than he bargained for.

On June 8, a 10-year-old boy was just a few feet away from his mother when the lifeguard saw him in distress. "There was blood in the water,“ ocean rescue deputy chief Eisen Witcher told USA Today. “A lifeguard immediately went into the water and pulled the youth back to shore. The boy had a large, bloodied laceration on his lower right calf.”

First responders wrapped his leg before he was taken to Cape Canaveral Hospital by ambulance. He was then airlifted to Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children due to the severity of his injury, but is expected to make a full recovery.

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