Kiteboarder killed by sharks in rare deadly attack

A lifeguard who rescued the victim of a shark attack off Florida's Atlantic coast said yesterday he could see several sharks breaking the surface and blood in the water as he approached in rough surf.

The 38-year-old victim, Stephen Howard Schafer, died in a hospital soon after being pulled to shore, marking the first fatal shark attack in Florida in five years.

Lifeguard Daniel Lund, 47, said he first spotted Schafer from his tower on the beach o Wednesday afternoon and he could tell the kiteboarder was in trouble. He said Schafer was lying on the large sail he was using to pull himself across the water.

Lund grabbed his long surfboard and paddled 20 minutes through rough seas, fighting 4-feet to 6-feet waves to reach Schafer about a quarter of a mile offshore.

"I get to him, I'm probably within 20 metres or so from him, and there's just a lot of blood in the water," Lund said.

He could see several sharks circling nearby. He pulled the injured Schafer onto his board and began paddling back. Lund declined to describe Schafer's injuries, but said he was conscious and speaking when they got to the beach and paramedics began treating him.

Authorities are investigating what types of sharks were involved and whether multiple sharks bit Schafer. Beaches remained open yesterday.

Kiteboarders surf across the water on boards strapped to their feet, using large curved sails to pull them along.

Shark attacks, especially fatal ones, are extremely rare, said George Burgess, a leading shark expert who directs the International Shark Attack File at the University of Florida's Museum of Natural History. The file lists 1,032 attacks in the US documented since 1690. Only 50 of them were fatal.

"Internationally, we've been averaging four fatalities per year, despite the fact that there are billions and billions of human hours spent in the sea every year," Burgess said yesterday. "Your chances of dying in the mouth of a shark are close to infinitesimal."

Friends said Schafer always followed the buddy system while surfing and that they were surprised he was in the water alone.

"We always know that (sharks) are out there. You see them this time of the year," said Teague Taylor, a childhood friend who says Schafer taught him to surf. "It's hard to believed that such an experienced waterman would make that one mistake."

Schafer, a gifted artist and graphic designer, was drawn to the water as a child. He surfed competitively and later started sailing, windsurfing and kiteboarding.

"He had to be around the water," said Taylor, who manages a local surf shop.