Shark Bites 13-Year-Old Girl Wading Along New Smyrna Beach

Once again, Volusia County proved it's the shark bite capitol of the world. This time it wasn't a surfer who was attacked, it was a 13-year-old girl playing in the water Tuesday.

The attack happened in a different place than they usually do, a good mile and a half south of where most of the New Smyrna Beach bites occurred. It's a beach that is more popular with tourists that surfers.

One of the many people enjoying a calm Tuesday on New Smyrna Beach was 13-year-old Emma Klopchin from upstate New York. She was wading in chest deep water when she felt something grab on to her lower right leg.

"All of the sudden, she felt the bite, looked down and immediately ran to shore," said Garry Mac, Bert Fish Medical Center.

A couple of nurses who happened to be on the beach treated the deep cut and puncture wounds until paramedics could arrive. Doctors at Bert Fish, by now familiar with treating bites, were likely going to take care of it with stitches once they cleaned out what the shark left behind.

"The think they have found one of the shark's teeth, maybe part of a tooth, in the wound and that will be Emma's souvenir to take home," Mac said.

Last year, there were 17 bites for the entire season and Tuesday's bite has 2008's number already at 16.

At New Smyrna Beach, there are more shark attacks per square mile than on any other beach in the world. If you've been swimming there, you've likely been within just 10 feet of a shark. There have been 210 attacks in Volusia County since 1982. The main reason is the area is rich with bait-fish and Volusia County is where sharks go to feed.

Previous Stories: July 25, 2008: 17-Year-Old Is 15th Shark Bite Victim Of Year In Volusia County July 24, 2008: Officials: Shark Bites Teen's Left Foot July 10, 2008: Wave-Jumping Shark Caught In Photos At New Smyrna Beach May 7, 2008: Shark Bites 6-Year-Old's Leg Along New Smyrna Beach Coast May 5, 2008: Volusia County Dredging Could Be Impacting Shark Attack Numbers April 20, 2008: Teenager Bitten By Shark While Surfing April 4, 2008: Fourth Shark Bite Of The Year Recorded After Surfer Bitten At Ponce Inlet February 19, 2008: Surfer Describes Shark Attack Along New Smyrna Beach February 18, 2008: First Victim Of The Year For Shark Bite Capital Of The World