10 shark attacks in South Carolina: The strange, the local and the deadly

Though the Carolinas experienced a rash of shark attacks in the summer of 2015, the occasional chompers have a long history in our coastal waters.

In South Carolina — which experienced only one of the summer's eight attacks in the Carolinas — there have been 124 unprovoked bites dating back to 1837, according to the Global Shark Attack File.

There have only been about 2,000 attacks in the United States dating back to 1779, according to the file.

While most bites occur while people are swimming, surfing or fishing, some stem from far stranger encounters, from a Key Largo diver who was cut while trying to kiss a nurse shark to a Hawaii man bitten while stuffing a shark he'd hooked into his car.

Here are 10 South Carolina bites that stand out or hit particularly close to home:

1840, Charleston:

A crew member of a pilot boat was accidentally thrown overboard in the Charleston Harbor and attacked by a shark while treading water, awaiting rescue.

The man was killed, though his body was not recovered.

The shark was said to be about 25 feet long.

1853, Charleston:

A young boater was fighting a shark off at The Battery on New Year's Day when his boat capsized and he disappeared. The man's gold watch was later found inside a shark, though the man's death may have been due to drowning.

1911, Charleston:

A sailor on the Rio Grande accidentally fell overboard and was "bitten in two" by a shark, The Fresno Bee reported.

Several passengers witnessed the New York man's struggle with the shark before he was dragged underwater.

1941, Charleston:

A Fort Moultrie soldier was bathing in the surf at Sullivan's Island when a shark surfaced, rolled over on its back and bit his chest.

The 20-year-old man fought it off "with his bare fists" before dashing to shore, where he was brought to the hospital for an operation, the New York Times reported.

Earlier in the day, people had been driving sharks away from the channel with shotguns, pitchforks and rakes.

1943, Charleston:

The Cuban freighter Libertad was torpedoed and sunk by a submarine off Charleston in early December.

Of the 18 crew members who survived the sinking, 10 were killed by sharks, the Troy Record reported.

At least one other man was bitten but survived.

1949, Jasper County:

A 16-year-old boy was floating on his back in the Okatie River in late July when he was bitten by a shark.

The shark gnawed at the teenager's stomach and lacerated his thigh, but did not fatally wound him.

1960, Atlantic Beach

A fisherman was putting out his net when he suddenly found himself inside the net with a shark.

The 8-foot shark "made a bee line" for the man, and bit him in the leg, hand and arm before three other fishermen came to his aid.

They stabbed and slashed the shark repeatedly with knives until it released the man's leg, broke through the net and swam away.

1962, Hilton Head Island:

A 13-year-old Summerville boy was standing in the water when a shark bit his thigh, leaving numerous gashes and cuts.

His wounds required about 250 stitches.

1988, Hilton Head Island:

A 37-year-old Missouri man was sitting in waist-deep water at Sea Pines Beach Club in early June when a shark bit his leg three times.

The AP reported that the non-fatal bite may have been the work of a sand shark.

His child was not injured.

1995, Myrtle Beach:

A man was surfing off 29th Avenue in early July when he jumped off his surfboard and landed on a shark.

The victim was bitten on the foot, but survived, the Aiken Standard reported.

Follow reporter Rebecca Lurye on Twitter at twitter.com/IPBG_Rebecca.

This story was originally published July 1, 2015 at 5:03 PM with the headline "10 shark attacks in South Carolina: The strange, the local and the deadly."