Comments on: Florida Shark Bite Fatality Raises Important Questions About Beach Safety

By: Dina Johnston

Dina Johnston — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:45:17 +0000

Wow, this really hits home. My husband likes to kitesurf when there aren’t a lot of people around (so he doesn’t run into anybody). In Tampa the few kitesurfing spots get really crowded. Sometimes he’s by himself with me standing on the beach watching from far away with no lifeguard around. We will be thinking twice about doing that going forward.

By: beachhunter

beachhunter — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 05:25:16 +0000

NativeMom,
Thanks for stopping by and commenting on my post, but I think it is obvious that you failed to read the entire post. The points you are making in your comment are exactly the points I made in my post. I didn’t make the “snarky” YouTube comment. I was pointing out what exists on YouTube about lifeguards in the United States and what an unfair representation it is compared to what exists on YouTube for countries like Australia and the UK. If you’ll have a second look you’ll see that underneath the YouTube screen capture I wrote: “I happen to know that Volusia County has a very good Beach patrol / lifeguard service.” They deserve to be better represented on YouTube and the internet.

20 minutes is a very long time for a bleeding person to have to wait in the water. It’s way too long. The point I was making was not that the lifeguard paddled too slowly. Obviously the lifeguard performed above and beyond and deserves a medal for his heroism (although I doubt that he considers himself a hero). I was simply wondering why the lifeguard had to paddle a surfboard out in the first place. Shouldn’t they have access to a surf boat or a jet ski? The videos I posted discussed the difficulty in getting funding for Brevard County lifeguards. That’s the whole point of my post: that we need to cough up the money to buy the best equipment and hire enough lifeguards.

As I clearly stated in my post: “It is possible that no amount of rescue equipment would have saved Stephen Schafer, but we still have to ask the tough questions.” Sounds a lot like what you wrote: “I doubt anything short of this surfer not being in the water that day would have made a difference. ”

That may be true, but you can bet those Martin County lifeguards are going over and over the situation trying to figure out if there was anything they could have done differently. That’s how lifeguard training is developed, by analyzing rescues and figuring out how to do it better next time.

I think you and I are in 100 percent agreement. I’m sorry you missed that. I invite you to re-read my post, especially the last two or three paragraphs.

By: nativemom

nativemom — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 00:36:05 +0000

Lifeguards are not superheroes. They are dedicated, hardworking professionals and I think you’ve been unfair in this post. My son is a Volusia County lifeguard. Your snarky utube comment was a low blow. If people want more lifeguards with quicker response times, then they need to pay for it. We spend more money marketing our beaches than we do taking care of them or staffing them for safety. And still people gripe about their taxes and having to pay a toll to drive on the beach. This was a freak accident. I doubt anything short of this surfer not being in the water that day would have made a difference.

And for those who think 20 minutes is a long time – you try swimming that far in our riptide prone beach waters after running a quarter mile.

By the way, Volusia staffs its lifeguards more than any other county in Florida. Mostly because we have so many miles of beach shoreline. We pay for that with taxes and beach tolls. Still, in the winter months, our staffing levels drop to about half they are in the busy summer months.

By: beachhunter

beachhunter — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 00:08:44 +0000

Hi Cynthia, thanks so much for stopping by and giving your input. Remote beaches like Playalinda or even Archie Carr Refuge do present a special challenge to lifeguards. I agree that caution should increase as the possibility for help decreases. Many are the stories I’ve read of surfers in California and Hawaii going out in 20 foot surf alone. Makes me shudder to think of it. I have to say that on most beaches here on the central and southwest Gulf coast, sharks are not a common sight. But nearly every time I visit an Atlantic beach I see a shark or sharks.

By: Cynthia Amoruso

Cynthia Amoruso — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 23:28:11 +0000

David, the questions you raise are valid. I body board on a National Seashore beach with lifeguards only at 1 out of 13 parking lots, and only during “summer” here in Florida. Many surfers are out there too, most are with friends, but there are many surfing solo. The lot we use is about 2 miles from the guarded beach. Sharks are a common element, so caution is necessary. The Orlando Sentinel is reporting that Daniel Lund took 20 minutes to reach Mr. Schafer. The time sounds right, if something happened at my beach, I can imagine the time might be that or longer. The lifeguards should be given the best training and equipment, agreed. Well thought out and articulated post. Thank you also for the link to your ebook-very informative.

By: beachhunter

beachhunter — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 23:14:47 +0000

Hi Alan,
I saw an interview with Daniel Lund, the lifeguard who tried to save Schafer, on the O’reilly Factor. O’reilly asked Lund what his conversation was with Schafer and what Schafer talked about. Lund basically said that out of respect for Schafer and his family he was not at liberty to discuss Schafer’s final words. I imagine that by the time Lund reached Schafer, he was already in shock and communication was likely focused on the outcome rather than the cause. But to me, the details are not important so much as the question: are our lifeguards equipped to get to victims as quickly as possible. Again, I don’t know, but the question I think is valid and relevant. That 40 minute time lag just really bothers me.

By: Suwannee Refugee

Suwannee Refugee — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 22:57:35 +0000

David- I would like to know more about the incident. I saw it on the news the other day, but no one was talking. That might be because the information died with the kitesurfer. Who knows.

A point well taken is having lifeguards on duty. If we’re going to market our beaches then it might be worthwhile.