September 25, 1995
Web posted at 8:15 p.m. EDT
From Correspondent John Zarrella
MIAMI (CNN)--Florida is in the midst of a record year, a record the state would rather not have. So far this year, there have been 25 shark attacks in Florida waters. The latest involved a diver who was apparently killed by a 10 foot bull shark. Experts believe there's a logical explanation for the increased number of incidents.
All summer long, waves pounded Florida's east coast, driven- in by one hurricane after another cruising north along the Atlantic seaboard. The larger waves have brought more surfers and that in turn has led to more encounters with sharks. One surfer had his feet bitten by a shark.(70K AIFF sound or 70K WAV sound)
In all but the most recent case, experts say the victims were surfers or swimmers sharks mistook for fish.
The one exception was William Covert, a Michigan man diving for tropical fish off the Florida Keys. "He always did what he wanted to do and I think he always followed his dream," said Tracey Aloisi, Covert's stepsister.
Following his dream, may have led Covert, 25, to a face-to-face deadly encounter with a 10-foot bull shark. "Based on the bites on the pants and the T-shirt and the weight belt, you know all of those are indicative of a shark bite. The radius of all the bites match," said shark expert Jose Castro. (163K AIFF sound or 163K WAV sound)
Castro examined what was left of Covert's gear and clothing, but Castro's opinion of the incident is not universally accepted. Some marine biologists and professional divers believe it's just as likely Covert was already dead when his body was scavenged by the shark and other sea creatures. "He wasn't properly equipped and he had a diving accident and that they found shark attack bites on his clothing, that could have happened way after the diving accident," said Leonard Panisch, a professional diver.
Because Covert was diving alone, a major mistake the professionals say, what exactly happened may never be known. Despite uncertainty over that incident, marine biologists say the number of confirmed shark attacks this year should heighten the awareness of divers and surfers. An awareness that venturing into an environment that belongs to other creatures is often times risky.
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