WALTON COUNTY, Fla. — One day after several shark attacks left a teenage girl and a woman fighting for their lives in the hospital and a second teenager recovering, Walton County Sheriff's Office deputies spotted a 14-foot Hammerhead shark just off the coast.
Deputies said they were patrolling east of South County Highway 395 in Santa Rosa Beach on Saturday morning when they spotted the shark. The sheriff's office said spotting a shark like the one they saw near the coast is "NOT uncommon."
It's unclear if this shark that attacked the three people. Santa Rosa Beach is just down from Watersound Beach and Seacrest Beach, where the two attacks happened on Friday.
"We want to reiterate that sharks are always present in the Gulf. Swimmers and beachgoers should be cautious when swimming and stay aware of their surroundings," the sheriff's office said on social media.
Red and purple flags are being flown at all Walton County beaches today out of an abundance of caution.
Friday afternoon shark attacks on 30A beaches
Deputies and lifeguards responded to Watersound Beach along State Road 30A near Rosemary Beach on Friday afternoon after they heard multiple reports of a woman who had been injured in a shark attack around 1:20 p.m. Fire officials said she was swimming just past the first sand bar with her husband when she was attacked by a shark.
The 45-year-old woman was rushed to the hospital with "significant trauma" to her midsection and pelvis, fire officials said in a Friday afternoon press conference. She also underwent an amputation to her lower left arm. She received care on the beach before she was taken to the fire station before being airlifted to the hospital in critical condition.
Just before 3 p.m., deputies responded to the area of Seacrest Beach where two teenage girls between the ages of 15 and 17 were reportedly attacked near the first sand bar about 4 miles down the beach line while out with a group of friends in waist-deep water.
One of the teenagers was severely injured, having injuries to her arm and leg that required a tourniquet. She was rushed to the hospital, where she is in critical condition. The other teen received flesh wounds and was also taken to the hospital, where fire officials said she is in stable condition.
Deputies have closed the water at all Walton County beaches, and double red flags are now flying on the beach. Florida's panhandle beaches along 30A are a popular vacation destination for many in metro Atlanta and north Georgia.
Walton County Sheriff Mike Adkinson said that both women have a "fighting chance" due to the swift response by first responders on the beach.
The sheriff's office posted a photo of the scene, which appeared to show someone being carried off the beach on what appears to be a stretcher.
