She wasn't attacked so much as she was bitten. Just a few puncture wounds, similar to what you'd get if a dog bit you. But how many people would stop running if they heard about a dog bite in their neighborhood?

It's not a big deal at all.

Missouri girl bitten by shark off Hilton Head Island

Associated Press

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. - A 7-year-old girl from Missouri was bitten by a shark while playing in 2 feet of water, Beaufort County deputies say.

The girl suffered puncture wounds to her foot and buttocks in the attack Wednesday afternoon, but the injuries were not life-threatening, deputies said.

Lifeguards and others on the beach first thought the girl had been stung by a stingray, but the doctor who treated her found a shark tooth embedded in her foot, authorities said.

The girl is the daughter of Amy B. Wallis of Ballwin, Mo., according to deputies, who did not have the child's name.

An average of three shark bites are reported on South Carolina beaches each year, said Charles Farmer, author of the book Sharks of South Carolina and a 38-year veteran of the Department of Natural Resources.

The last shark bite reported on Hilton Head Island was in 2001, according to the archives of The Island Packet newspaper.

The last fatal shark attack off the island occurred in 1883, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History.

Sharks often get closer to shore as the ocean waters warm and the bait fish they eat get closer to the beach, said Al Stokes, manager of DNR's Waddell Mariculture Center

Rut roh.

Russ, you need to clear the water for me. I lovelovelove ocean swimming but not so keen on being shark-bait.

What? You haven't heard the old Serengeti maxim: you don't have to be the fastest antelope to elude the lion, you just have to not be the slowest.

They get Maxim in the Serengeti?

Yeah, only the boobs aren't as perky. 

I'm going to the Charleston area in a couple of weeks.  I have been thinking about whether or not I should practice my OWS early in the morning when I normally workout on a family vacation.  Is this something I need to worry about or should I swim away?

btw Jim a shark bite is no big deal unless you're the one bitten.

They're more active at twilight & night, not sure about early mornings.

Thing is - they're always out there - there are more than 50 species that live off the Carolinas - but for the most part, they don't want to be around people anyway.

http://www.ncseagrant.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=page&filename=Avoid_sharks.html has some basic tips on not becoming lunch. 

I had a similar bite when I was about 19. Little nip on the foot. No big deal. Don't even have a scar any more.