Internet sleuths determine truth from finction!
Do you recall, four days ago, when Chas Smith wrote about LA’s latest “shark attack survivor”, Sophia Raab? A young woman who now responds to the name Shark Bite?
Well, yeah… she was lying. Or brainwashed by social phenomena. I think. Let’s watch and find out:
Did you catch all that?
The tumble in the suds? The Great White attack in one foot of water? The fact that, during the clip, it shows a picture of her busted out fin?
It’s quite clear what happened here.
Kook is made aware of shark epidemic in SoCal, decides to surf anyway (for the love of it). Paddles in from her session, because there must not be another wave coming ever, and gets picked up by some whitewater near the shore. Tries to stand up but puts a little too much weight on the starboard rail, resulting in a raucous tumble. Is struck by fin while underwater, comes up, sees gash, mind goes directly to shark.
Even a shark expert agrees that Sophia’s wound doesn’t correlate with shark jaws.
“The injury does not appear to be the result of a shark attack,” Ralph Collier, President of the Shark Research Committee, told Surfline. “One of the skegs on her board is missing, the lifeguards said it looked like her board cut her leg and I must concur with their assessment. First, juvenile white sharks cannot produce a wound 4 inches deep as described by the physician. Also, the wound forms a right angle, 90 degrees, a shark’s upper and lower jaws are crescent shaped and would not produce the would we see in the photograph.”
In all fairness, I don’t think Shark Bite was purposefully lying. Rather, shark hysteria led Sophia to a sensationalist conclusion and a landlubbing doctor confirmed her fantasy. Once the gal changed her Instagram to @shark_bite_sophia, it was too late to amend her tale. Soph’s gotta carry this one to her grave.
This is much like Chas Smith with his shark hysteria propagation. Like Mick Fanning with his “behind-the-wave” shark punch. They’re not bad people — just misspoke in the heat of the moment!
Also, some people are irate that Sophia is using GoFundMe to support her medical bills, just because she sold the world a lie. While I understand the sentiment, I’m not sure I agree with the logic.
The girl suffered a gruesome injury regardless of its cause. Why should she only receive donations if attacked by a prehistoric beast? Are FCS1 users not a legitimate cause for charity?
Editor’s note: I have an identical (albeit smaller) scar on my right leg from the exact incident Sophia described. I always assumed it was my fin that caused the laceration.
