Man bitten on leg while in water at Gulf Shores

GULF SHORES, Ala. (WALA) - A man in Gulf Shores is recovering after he was bitten while wading in the water. A spokesperson with the city has not confirmed it was a shark, but said the victim said he saw something with fins coming toward him.

Fins are not what you expect to find swimming toward you in the water. Grant Brown with the City of Gulf Shores said that’s what the victim reported.  

“We got a call that a swimmer was out and about in the Gulf State Park area, and he got bit by something,” said Brown.

Brown said the man was wading in about three feet of water in at the County Road 2 beach access. He said although it’s likely, they aren’t sure it was a shark bite.

“We’re entering into their world, and we just need to be cognoscente about that,” said Brown.

Lifeguards put up purple flags to caution swimmers of dangerous marine life, but many we spoke to did not know what those flags mean.

Many people we spoke to didn’t even know there was a possible shark bite. Officials said it was a minor incident, and the public didn’t need to know.

“It may have been a shark. It may have been a board with a nail in it. Who knows what caused this particular injury? Minor injury, people step on things all the time all over the beach and have incidents like this, and we wouldn’t necessarily notify the public,” said Brown.

Reneta Powe was at the beach with her son the day after. She wishes she had known.

“It would have been nice to know. I would have been more aware because he was playing in the water all day,” said Brown.

The man was released from the hospital with eight stitches in his leg.

Brown said this is migration time for sharks, so everyone needs to look out and also of other dangerous marine life like jelly fish.