Teen in Lifeguard Training Has Run-In With a Shark

A shark bit a Florida teen on the leg during a lifeguard training camp on Monday morning, officials said. The attack occurred near the Ponce Inlet lifeguard tower shortly before noon, Volusia County Beach Safety officials said, per the AP. The 14-year-old boy had been practicing water entries when he landed on a shark, which WKMG identified as a 4- to 5-foot-long blacktip. The teen's injuries weren't considered life-threatening, officials said, and he was taken by his parents to get stitches.

Monday's attack comes just days after two separate bite incidents in nearby New Smyrna Beach. A 26-year-old man was bitten on the foot while floating in an inner tube on Friday, and a 21-year-old man was bitten Thursday while playing football in shallow water. Local authorities have issued warnings to Floridians over the shark activity, which typically peaks in the Sunshine State between April and October, per CBS News.

Still, shark attacks are rare, with less than 70 unprovoked incidents logged globally last year, according to the International Shark Attack File. Ten of those attacks proved fatal. Almost half of all US attacks took place in Florida, with Volusia County earning the nickname "Shark Bite Capital of the World." (The Fourth of July was not a good day to be at a Texas beach. (More shark attack stories.)