Back-to-back shark attacks injure 2 teens, adult near Florida beach; one victim loses arm

Three people were injured in back-to-back shark attacks in waters off Florida's Gulf Coast on Friday, officials said.

Two of the victims - an adult woman and a juvenile girl - were airlifted to hospitals for treatment of their injuries, according to Walton County Sheriff's Office Public Information Officer Corey Dobridnia.

One of the victims, a 45-year-old woman, lost her lower left arm in the first attack. She was critically injured shortly before 1:15 pm at the beach in Watersound, Florida, about 15 miles up the Gulf Coast from Panama City Beach.

The second incident where two people were injured occurred at Inlet Beach between south Walton and Bay Counties, the sheriff's office said. The victims, ages 15 to 17, were in waist-deep water about 4 miles from where the first attack occurred.

"We're 100% confident that this was done by a shark," Dobridnia told USA TODAY. "It's within, a very short distance it's most likely going to be the same shark."

Officials on the lookout for bull shark

Police have asked the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to lookout for a bull shark, which are common in the area, Dobridnia said.

Officials closed public access to the Gulf of Mexico in Walton counties Friday afternoon, with double-red flags flying over beaches in the surrounding area; anyone violating the closure was threatened with a $500 fine.

Officials will revaluate when the beaches can be reopened on Saturday after consulting with marine life experts, South Walton Fire District Fire Chief Ryan Crawford said at a press conference Friday afternoon.

"It's rare, exceedingly rare, to have three victims in one day," Crawford said. "We need to get a little time and distance until we can safely allow everybody to go back in the water."

The incidents mark the first shark-related incidents in Florida in 2024, according to trackingsharks.com.

Contributing: Collin Bestor and Cheryl McCloud