Vero Beach Press Journal

Mondo Times editors    Boulder Colorado USA

Posted at 10:55am on Thursday, February 4th, 2010

Fatal Shark Attack Thrusts Treasure Coast into National Spotlight

The Vero Beach Press Journal reported on February 4, 2010:

"The death of 38-year-old kiteboarder Stephen Howard Schafer of Stuart, who was attacked by sharks Wednesday afternoon, has put Martin County and the Treasure Coast in the national and international spotlight. The head of the local Chamber of Commerce, however, said the incident shouldn’t adversely affect tourism in the area.

The attack was one of the lead items on national television morning shows Thursday, including the “Today” show on NBC and “Good Morning America” on ABC.

A lead video on ABCnews.com featured the attack, including an interview with Daniel Wouters of Martin County Fire Rescue and a witness identified as Jim Smith, who said of the lifeguards’ efforts: “I can’t emphasize enough they did their best. The guy just wasn’t moving. ... It was heartbreaking in a way.’’

Doug Killane, bureau chief of fire prevention with Martin County Fire Rescue and public information officer, said, “All the major networks have called from their main offices.”

The lead video on MSNBC.com Thursday morning was titled, “Sharks swarm, kill kiteboarder off Fla. coast.”

The full story:
http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2010/feb/04/fatal-shark-attack-puts-treasure-coast-national-sp/