"He got nipped, but all of us have been bitten by a shark at some point."
I wish there could be a break in this shark news, truly I do. My eyes are bloodshot red, fingers worked to the bone but news, horrifying news, keeps pumping out of Florida at record pace and what sort of surf-cum-shark journalist would I be if I left it all on the floor? Rotting? Festering?
A poor one is what and so I press on for you, for the craft.
Yesterday we learned of San Francisco running back sensation Raheem Mostert and his wife, then girlfriend, who visited New Smyrna and was bitten by sharks three times in a span of 30 minutes. Almost unbelievable.
Today we learn of brave young Logan Radd, a fine surf name if there ever was one, who triumphed over a vicious shark bite by winning the prestigious Toyota USA Surfing Prime opener in the U-14 division and let us go straight to the newspaper of record at conservative hotel chains across this great nation. Let us read from USA Today:
Four months after lying on a cot in the Holmes Regional Medical Center emergency room, Logan Radd scored, you could say, the second-biggest victory of his life Sunday.
The 13-year-old Florida surfer captured top honors in the 2020 opener of the Toyota USA Surfing Prime series at Sebastian Inlet, winning his under-14 division, in the eventual Olympic qualifying event that attracts the top young amateurs from the East Coast.
Radd, an outstanding young surfer who was bitten twice on his left heel by what was believed to be a blacktip shark back in September and needed 19 stitches, considers this his most coveted trophy.
“When I first got back in the water, it felt kind of weird,” Radd said. “Now, if I see a shark, I get a little spooked, but I think anyone would.”
Physically, he’s fine, although he was sidelined three weeks after splitting his stitches trying to surf just days after getting bit. He still managed to win one of the divisions at the National Kidney Foundation contest in Cocoa Beach.
“Lucky it was (just) his heel,” said Gordon Lawson, the head judge at last weekend’s contest. “He got nipped, but all of us have been bitten by a shark at some point.”
A hearty, hearty congrats to young Radd but… is this really true? That all Florida surfers have been bitten by a shark at some point?
Every single one of them?
Incredible.
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Pretty much – I’m just waiting for mine after 3.5 decades at some very sharky spots, not just here but other areas in Cen AM and Carib. I can’t swing a stick w/o hitting someone who has been bit. They’re grab and go’s for the most part from small 6′ sharks, so really it’s not something that anyone thinks about at all. However some of the big dogs like GWs are starting to move in more frequently it seems. When the Bull’s are out, get out of the water. Used to see Tigers here quite a bit but for some reason have not seen as much over the last 10 years. We sometimes find turtles w/that huge bite – my buddy fit his entire torso in the bite out of a 300lb turtle few years back.
“is this really true? That all Florida surfers have been bitten by a shark at some point?”
More likely “at some beach break?”
If you are surfing in Florida….you are surfing with sharks…
Pokemon should be able to swoop in and pick those kids for next to nothing. simpo included.
So many things to discuss!
What the hell does “in the eventual Olympic qualifying event“ mean?
“He got nipped, but all of us have been bitten by a shark at some point.” Yeah, nah.
Young Radd also looks to be part of team Hurley. Better update that results section of your resume in a hurry kid and see if you can leverage this win to jump ship!
I’m hearing )(urley offered him $12 as a buyout, and since he didn’t want to work with kooks, he took it.