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07/01/2006 Beebe Hall (Florida)

Shark Attack Survivors News Archive for Shark Attacks in 2006.
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sharkbait
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07/01/2006 Beebe Hall (Florida)

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Flash! Olympian Gary Hall, Jr., Sister, Survive Shark Attack -- July 2, 2006

By Phillip Whitten

July 1. US OLYMPIC multi gold medalist Gary Hall, Jr., and his sister, Bebe Hall, were attacked by a 6-foot black tip reef shark while they were spear-fishng yesterday off the Florida Keys.

Beebe, 28, was bitten and slashed by the shark, suffering a 3-inch gash, two rows of slashes and a puncture wound that required 19 stitches, but it was she who shot the shark in the throat, ending the attack. Gary suffered only minor injuries.

Afterward, Bebe said: "it was pure self defense. It must be credited to the women's self defense course I took my freshman year in college."

The two were out diving and spear fishing when Gary speared a large snapper. Bebe spotted a large reef shark, so they decided to head back to their boat. Gary held the snapper out of the water while kicking on his back, as Bebe kept a wary eye on the shark that began to swim toward them.

Suddenly, Bebe felt a bump on her shoulder. Unobserved, a second -- and larger -- shark had been attracted to the two swimmers. Bebe turned and saw the shark's head at her shoulder, then it turned and was swimming between Gary's legs as he kicked furiously.

Gary was yelling for Bebe to reload the spear, which she did, but with the shark between herself and her brother, she knew that if she missed the shark, she would shoot Gary.

Then, mouth agape, the shark turned toward Bebe for the kill. She shot it with her spear gun, the spear going down the shark's throat. Then she pulled out the spear. Discouraged, the shark swam away as the two swimmers reached their boat -- and safety.

Brother and sister, though shaken by their nighmare ordeal, were physically fine despite their injuries. They intend to stay closer to their boat on future spear-fishing outings.


http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/la ... /11533.asp
sharkbait
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Post by sharkbait »

This story is from our news.com.au network Source: AFP

Swim great survives shark attack
From correspondents in London
July 19, 2006
FIVE-time Olympic swimming gold medallist Gary Hall has survived a shark attack while spear fishing with his sister off the Florida coast.
The 35-year-old American fought off the shark by punching and kicking it in the nose until his injured sister was able to shoot it in the mouth with a spear gun, Hall told the Los Angeles Times newspaper.

"Fortunately she injured the shark badly enough that a lot of blood was pouring from its mouth.

"The shark swam off. Otherwise with her bleeding as much as she was it could have been disastrous."

The US swim hero emerged unscathed from the attack, but his 28-year-old sister, Bebe, sustained a bite wound on the arm that required 19 stitches.

The incident took place two weeks ago in the Florida Keys, a string of small islands 24km southwest of Miami.

The drama began when the Halls were spear fishing about 200 metres from their boat and spotted a shark. They started swimming back to their boat when a 1.8 metre black tip reef shark attacked.

"Another shark larger than the first one we saw came in from the side and bit (Bebe) on the arm," said Hall. "I didn't realize she had been bit before the shark was on me.

"It was swimming after me and thrashing and had its back arched in a frenzy mode. I kept punching it in the nose and kicking it and it kept coming after me.

"I was eventually able to get underneath it and roll it off of me. That's when it charged toward my sister.

"She had already been bit, but in the meantime she had enough sense to load the spear.

"The shark charged her with its mouth open and she shot it."

The shark swam away and they managed to get back to the boat where Hall fashioned a tourniquet for Bebe's arm.

"It was definitely a shot of adrenaline," said Hall. "I don't know what my split was for the 50 metres, but I am sure I haven't swam that fast in years."

Hall is in training for next month's US nationals in Los Angeles. He finished in sixth place in the 50 metre freestyle at the Janet Evans invitational meet, at the University of Southern California, at the weekend.

Hall won two gold medals each in the 1996 Atlanta and 2000 Sydney Olympics. He collected his fifth gold by capturing the 50 metres freestyle at Athens in 2004.

He will be shooting for his fourth Olympics by trying to make the US team for 2008 in Beijing.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/st ... 02,00.html
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