A beachgoer suffered a “likely shark bite” on Hilton Head Island Monday — marking a rare shark encounter on the South Carolina shore.
The woman was chomped on while swimming in the waters at the Sea Pines Resort, a sprawling hotel along the island’s south shore, News 3 reported.
She was able to escape the water on her own and was bleeding, but had the wound under control.
Fortunately, the “likely shark bite” wasn’t severe enough for her to be rushed to the hospital. Whether she went on her own after the fact is not known.
Lifeguards shut down the beach for 30 minutes until the waters were determined to be safe.
The incident marks the first official shark bite on the island for the year — but Shore Beach Services said “there was another possible shark bite early this year that wasn’t confirmed.”
Shark attacks on Hilton Head are rare, but not uncommon.
Last year, a 60-year-old man was standing in waist-deep water on the very same beach when a shark bit his foot, leaving him with gruesome, but not life-threatening injuries.
In 2021, a lifeguard was checking water conditions when a shark bit him on the chest. He also survived the encounter.
Shark experts told The Post earlier this month that shark encounters are the “new norm” thanks to a population boom in the beast’s favorite meals.
The apex predators do not target humans, however, and most bites are accidental and a result of swimmers getting in the way of a feeding frenzy.
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