North Carolina shark attack victim says fortunate to survive; 11 total attacks off Carolinas

OCRACOKE ISLAND, Outer Banks -- The latest survivor in a record-breaking string of seven North Carolina shark attacks said Thursday he's very fortunate to be alive and thankful for the emergency help he received after struggling ashore.

The shark attack was frightening and painful, said Andrew Costello. Now he's focused on recovering.

"I feel very fortunate to have survived thanks to the incredible assistance I received from medical personnel on the beach, both those on duty and vacation," Costello, 68, said in a statement issued by the hospital where he is recovering.

Costello received a major, but non-lethal shark bite to his thigh at midday Wednesday and underwent emergency treatment at Vidant Medical Center in Greenville, said Dr. Eric Toschlog, the hospital's chief of trauma and acute care surgery. Costello will need multiple additional operations but was upgraded to good condition Thursday, Toschlog said in a statement.

Costello was bitten repeatedly in waist-deep water off Ocracoke Island on the state's Outer Banks. Reports list Costello's hometown as Wareham, Massachusetts, National Park Service Outer Banks spokeswoman Cyndy Holda said. He was the former editor-in-chief of the Boston Herald, the newspaper reported Thursday.

Costello suffered wounds to his ribcage, lower leg, hip and both hands as he tried to fight off the animal, said Justin Gibbs, director of emergency services in Hyde County. The attack happened on a beach watched by a lifeguard as Costello swam in waist-deep water some 30 feet offshore, the National Park Service said in a news release. No other swimmers were injured.

The seven people attacked by sharks in the past three weeks is the most for the state's coast in the 80 years for which the Florida Museum of Natural History's International Shark Attack File keeps records.

Most of this year's shark attacks happened in shallow water. The injuries ranged widely: An 8-year-old boy had only minor wounds to his heel and ankle, while at least two other people required amputation. Another person, attacked Saturday, had initially been considered at critical risk of dying.

Safety officials are trying to find patterns in the series of shark attacks on the North Carolina coast that might help keep the key tourism region safe for visitors, Gov. Pat McCrory said Thursday.

"I am going to be talking to my secretary of public safety to see if there is any one fit-all approach to dealing with this issue. I doubt there is because each circumstance is so different," McCrory said.

Local governments could consider restrictions on luring sharks to fishing hooks around areas where people swim, especially during the summer tourist season, McCrory said.

At least 11 people have been attacked along the Carolinas coast this year, seven in North Carolina and four in South Carolina. Most of the attacks have occurred since June 11. The seven attacks in North Carolina are the most recorded in one year since the Florida Museum of Natural History's International Shark Attack File began keeping records 80 years ago. The highest previous total was five attacks in 2010.

Here are details of the attacks:

- May 15: A 30-year-old man was bitten by a shark while swimming off Sullivans Island, South Carolina.

- June 11: A 13-year-old girl suffered small cuts to her foot at Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina.

- June 15: A 12-year-old girl from Asheboro lost part of her arm and suffered a leg injury and a 16-year-old boy from Colorado Springs, Colorado, lost his left arm less than 90 minutes later and about 2 miles away off the town of Oak Island, North Carolina. Each victim was about 20 yards offshore.

- June 23: A 9-year-old Fort Mill, South Carolina, boy was bitten by a shark off St. Helena Island, South Carolina.

- June 24: An 8-year-old boy suffered minor injuries to his lower leg, heel and ankle while swimming in knee-deep water in Surf City, North Carolina.

- June 26: A 47-year-old man was bitten multiple times on the back in the surf off Avon on Hatteras Island, North Carolina.

- June 26: A 43-year-old Pennsylvania man is bitten a shark while swimming off Hunting Island State Park, South Carolina.

- June 27: An 18-year-old man suffered injuries to his right calf, buttocks and both hands while swimming with others in shallow water off the Hatteras Island town of Waves, North Carolina. He was taken to a Norfolk, Virginia, hospital in critical condition.

- June 30: A 12-year-old Utah boy was bitten by a shark while swimming at the Isle of Palms County Park near Charleston, South Carolina.

- July 1: A 68-year-old man suffered wounds to his ribcage, lower leg, hip and both hands as he tried to fight off a shark in waist-deep water at around midday on Ocracoke Island, North Carolina.