Karin Ulrike Stei, German Tourist, Attacked By Shark In Vero Beach, Florida (VIDEO)

A tourist who was attacked by a shark Wednesday while swimming in waist-deep waters off Florida's Vero Beach is in stable condition today, WPTV reports.

Karin Ulrike Stei, a 47-year-old woman visiting from Konstanz, Germany, was swimming about 30 yards from shore when a shark bit her left leg, severing her femoral artery and leaving a large laceration from her thigh to below her knee, CBS-12 News in West Palm Beach reports.

Stei's friend, Brigitte Schmide, was swimming about 10 yards closer to shore when the attack occurred and told CBS-12 that she wasn't aware of any danger in the water until someone yelled "shark!"

Witnesses to the attack said it appeared as though the shark, the species of which has not been identified, removed a section of Stei's leg in one bite.

"She was the only one in the water. You could see her backpedaling, and then you just see a black cloud forming around her. And by the time she screamed again, we pretty much knew," one witness, Michael Curran, told CBS Miami. "I started calling 911 as they dragged her onto the sand. Just saw, real bad shark bite."

"It was from a foot above her knee to half her calf was just gone. It wasn't like it was still there. It was just gone," another witness, Scott Weston, told the station.

Lifeguard Eric Toomso was on a nearby boardwalk when he heard Stei scream and rushed into the water to pull her out, with help from several other people near the scene, United Press International reports.

Luckily for Stei, a fire rescue helicopter happened to be flying above the water when the attack occurred, and touched down after the pilot saw the incident. She was flown to Lawnwood Regional Medical Center & Heart Institute in Fort Pierce and immediately underwent emergency surgery.

Stei is now in stable condition, and discussions are underway about the huge schools of common bait fish that gather close to shore around this time of year, attracting sharks as well as predators like bluefish, mackerels and jacks.

"There have been a ton of sharks around," Capt. Brian Williamson, a fishing guide who runs a tackle shop and full service charter fishing company in Vero Beach, told WPTV.

"A lot of my regulars that come by the shop are saying it's been harder to catch bait off the beach lately than it is to catch sharks," he said.

According to Local 6 News in Orlando, shark bites are rare in Indian River County, where Vero Beach is located. Between 1882 and 2011, there have been only 17 reported attacks.

But in other Florida counties, it's a different story. Brevard County, which borders Indian River County to the north, has logged 103 shark bites since 1882.

And to the north of Brevard County lies the "shark bite capital of the world," Volusia County, according to Local 6 News. That county saw 242 attacks during the same time period.

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Comments

[g9]

03:55 PM on 05/13/2012

I have eaten some of these tourist...& half taste like chickin & half taste like cheerleaders

[Scott Howes]

07:15 PM on 05/12/2012

The Experience of the 1st Responders is why she is alive, the methods used from the life guard up show a deep desire and pride with wellbeing is the standard for this Rescue Force that shows they have training drilled in to each person. The methods they used are state of the art safe able rescue that shows they care. Are you ready to help take a BloodBorne Pathogen class, so you will be able to protect your self but have abilites skills knowledge to help in a Rescue. Yes I have Video Training Online www.isoclasses.com so more people can be ready

[Bluesman0503]

02:18 PM on 05/12/2012

From Germany to Florida is a long way to go for a bite....

[den1953]

09:34 AM on 05/12/2012

Lets just hope she doesn't get a infection from the BP oil spill?

[oldwolf49]

08:36 AM on 05/12/2012

Hello?!?!?! Florida?!?!?!

[taarmao]

08:03 AM on 05/12/2012

if we had not overfished the oeans there would be plenty of fish food for sharks. commercial fishing and consumers are to blame for these attacks.

[rhodesmatswift]

07:49 AM on 05/12/2012

We need a bigger boat.

[Passenger57]

07:43 AM on 05/12/2012

"Hey, look, there's Passenger57- HAHA! Why's he bringing a wading pool to the BEACH?"...

[Deaninphilly]

07:43 AM on 05/12/2012

You are swimming in the ocean, You should always expect that something may bite or attack you..

[athiesttoo]

07:42 AM on 05/12/2012

Another reason to scratch Florida off the potential vacation list.

[southrange]

07:34 AM on 05/12/2012

Bait and predators which follow are drawn by currents along the east coast of Florida every Spring. There are dozens of shark attacks up and down the Florida coast every year. You'd think they would publicize it more...but that I suppose is not good for tourism.

[1differentdrummer]

07:12 AM on 05/12/2012

In the ocean (sometimes fresh water, too) there are sharks and there is shark food. Any questions?

[rredtag]

06:16 AM on 05/12/2012

New headline : Woman invades sharks' home.

[keith w oliver]

05:10 AM on 05/12/2012

line #1; paragraph #3:
--- "Sᴛᴇɪ's ғʀɪᴇɴᴅ, Bʀɪɢɪᴛᴛᴇ Sᴄʜᴍɪᴅᴇ, ᴡᴀs sᴡɪᴍᴍɪɴɢ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ 10 ʏᴀʀᴅs ᴄʟᴏsᴇʀ ᴛᴏ sʜᴏʀᴇ ᴡʜᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀᴛᴛᴀᴄᴋ ᴏᴄᴄᴜʀʀᴇᴅ"

line #1; paragraph #5:
--- ""Sʜᴇ ᴡᴀs ᴛʜᴇ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴏɴᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴀᴛᴇʀ. Yᴏᴜ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ sᴇᴇ ʜᴇʀ ʙᴀᴄᴋᴘᴇᴅᴀʟɪɴɢ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇɴ ʏᴏᴜ ᴊᴜsᴛ sᴇᴇ ᴀ ʙʟᴀᴄᴋ ᴄʟᴏᴜᴅ ғᴏʀᴍɪɴɢ ᴀʀᴏᴜɴᴅ ʜᴇʀ."

------- i don't get it -- no one else in the water, and someone else in the water, is only a possibility if you've taken lsd and your brain is in your head all crooked.

[OkieIntellectual]

05:05 AM on 05/12/2012

If the damage was as extensive as the article states, she's still probably going to lose that leg. See that's why I don't go in the ocean, ever. Once you step into the water, your place on the food chain drops significantly.