The shark had not left.
It was June 25, 2005, at Miramar Beach, Florida. Jamie M. Daigle, 14, was swimming in the Gulf of Mexico when a large shark attacked her.
The animal inflicted severe wounds.
A man on a surfboard was nearby. He paddled to Jamie, lifted her onto the board, and tried to keep her out of the water.
The shark remained close.
Christopher N. White heard people shouting for help from the beach.
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White was 23 years old and worked as an environmental health specialist. He entered the Gulf and began swimming toward Jamie and the man on the surfboard.
Someone gave him an inflatable raft while he was on his way out.
White continued swimming, pushing the raft through the water until he reached them.
The surfboard had provided a temporary platform, but Jamie still had to be moved toward shore. White and the other man transferred her to the inflatable raft.
Then they started back.
White swam while pulling and guiding the raft. The other man remained on his surfboard beside them.
The shark returned.
It swam close to the group.
They were now trying to move an injured girl through open water while the animal that had attacked her remained within striking distance.
The man on the surfboard began hitting the surface of the water. The goal was to draw the shark’s attention away from the raft.
It worked.
The shark left the area.
White and the other man continued toward shore. When they reached shallow water, people on the beach helped remove Jamie from the Gulf.
Attempts were made to revive her.
They were unsuccessful.
Jamie died at the scene from the injuries caused by the attack.
White was nearly exhausted by the time the rescue ended. He recovered shortly afterward.
The outcome does not allow for a simple ending. White reached Jamie and helped bring her to shore, but her injuries were too severe for her to survive.
That does not erase what happened in the water.
White heard calls for help and entered the Gulf while a shark remained near the victim. He did not have a motorboat, protective equipment, or a way to control the animal.
He had an inflatable raft.
He swam it toward the danger.
Once Jamie was aboard, White began the return trip even though the shark had not disappeared. When it came close again, the other rescuer distracted it while
White continued moving the raft toward land.
The men divided the problem without discussing a plan.
One kept the shark’s attention away from Jamie.
The other kept the raft moving.
Together, they brought her back to shore.
What He Did And Why It Is Worth Noticing
Christopher N. White entered the Gulf of Mexico after hearing calls for help, swam an inflatable raft toward a girl who had been attacked by a shark, helped place her aboard, and began taking her to shore while the shark remained nearby.
That is what he did.
It is worth noticing because White entered the water knowing the animal had already attacked someone and had not left the area. When the shark returned and approached the raft, he remained in the water and continued the rescue.
Jamie did not survive her injuries. The rescue could not change that outcome.
But White still reached her, helped remove her from the water, and brought her back to the people waiting on shore.
A shark had attacked a child in open water. White took an inflatable raft and swam toward her.
That is worth noticing.
If a shark had already attacked someone and was still visible nearby, would you enter the water to help bring the person back?