EXPERTS describe New Smyrna Beach in Volusia County, Florida, the U.S., as the shark attack capital of the world, and it lived up to that reputation last weekend, when three people were bitten by sharks over two days.

On Saturday, 20-year-old surfer Emily Comfort was bitten on her left hand and wrist, according to Volusia County Beach Safety. She was taken to Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach with injuries that were not life-threatening.

Half an hour later, officials said, 21-year-old surfer Riley Petrovich had to be treated for a shark bite to his right foot; he refused transport to the hospital.

A lot of bait fish gather in the area beyond the pier at New Smyrna Beach, and sharks follow them, according to Gavin Naylor, director of the Florida Program for Shark Research at the Florida Museum of Natural History.

Naylor says that the best surfing breaks are also found at this part of the beach.

“If you like to surf and you surf in this particular spot, the chances are high that you have been within 10 feet (3 meters) of a shark,” Naylor wrote in an email. “The surfers all know this. They routinely report seeing sharks in the area. While it may be news to the non-surfing community, it is widely known to scientists and surfers.”

Less than 24 hours after the first two bites, 51-year-old Peter Bourbeau was standing in knee-deep water when his right foot was bitten by what he described as a 4-foot-shark, Volusia County Beach Safety said. He told officials that he kicked the shark with his left foot, and it swam away. (SD-Agencies)