Boy, nine, is attacked by a shark minutes after he walked into the water on vacation at Miami Beach 

Shark rips chunk out of nine-year-old boy’s shoulder minutes after he walked into the water on family vacation at Miami Beach

  • Jay Weiskopf, from Minnesota, was attacked in the waters off Miami Beach on Sunday
  • A shark bit into the boy’s shoulder, removing a chunk of skin, his mother said
  • Weiskopf is recovering in Jackson Memorial Hospital following surgery
  • Florida is one of the most common places worldwide for unprovoked shark attacks, according to a report by the University of Florida 

A nine-year-old boy is recovering in hospital after being bitten by a shark off Miami Beach.

Jay Weiskopf, from Minnesota, was vacationing in Florida with his parents Kristine and Ren when he was attacked on Sunday.

Kristine said she and her son were only in the water for a few minutes before she noticed something was wrong. 

‘I was holding his hand the whole time and he was kind of body surfing a little bit and he had fallen on his stomach,’ Kristine told Local 10 news.

‘When I pulled him up, I noticed there was just a big chunk of skin missing from his shoulder.

‘He just said “ow” and I looked down and there was about a 4-foot grey shark just kinda swimming away, so I just scooped him up and ran him up the beach,’ Kristine said.

A nine-year-old boy is recovering in hospital after being bitten by a shark off Miami Beach. Jay Weiskopf, from Minnesota, was vacationing in Florida with his parents Kristine and Ren when he was attacked on Sunday. Pictured: Weiskopf in an image shared by Local 10 News

Miami Beach Fire Rescue met the family on the sand and took Jay to Jackson Memorial Hospital.

He was rushed to surgery to treat the large wound and is now said to be in high spirits despite his ordeal. 

Doctors have warned of the possibilities of infection and potential long term effects of the injury on Jay’s mobility.

However because he is so young, Jay is likely to recover well though he may need to have a skin graft in the future.

‘He just wants to go home and it’s really sad because we had so much fun planned,’ Kristine said. 

‘I just love him so much. He’s such a great kid and we’re still in shock, but thankful. We thank God that he didn’t take his life. That he’s gonna be OK,’ Jay’s father, Ren, said.

Florida was again top of the global list of shark attacks in 2020, with the US recording 58 per cent of total unprovoked incidents

Florida was again top of the global list of shark attacks in 2020, with the US recording 58 per cent of total unprovoked incidents

‘What I don’t like right now is that the beach is still open, and kids are still down there playing, and they are in the same spot where my son just got attacked. I don’t know if it’s just because of spring break or whatever, but the beach should be closed.’  

Florida was again top of the global list of shark attacks in 2020, with the US recording 58 per cent of total unprovoked incidents.

The US reported 33 unprovoked shark attacks last year, according to the early World Shark Attack Summary released by The University of Florida’s International Shark Attack File (ISAF) in January.

Sixteen of those attacks took place in Florida.