RALEIGH, N.C. — An 8-year-old boy suffered minor injuries after being bitten by a shark Wednesday while swimming in knee-deep water in Surf City, N.C.
Town Manager Larry Bergman says the town does not plan to warn visitors about the shark bite or tell swimmers to get out of the water, but it has increased police beach patrols.
“It really comes down to a joint decision on public safety officials, including myself,” Bergman said. He said he would have decided to close the beaches “if there was a big hazard, if there was an imminent danger.”
The town does not have an official lifeguarding staff, instead employing police officers and water-rescue-trained firefighters to patrol the beaches on four-wheelers. Beachgoers swim “kind of at their own risk,” Bergman said.
He said some people have approached police officers after hearing about the bite on social media.