0 People have been here:

Description:
Killed while swimming with his girlfriend in the surf off Avon, Hatteras Island, Dare County, North Carolina; his girlfriend, Natalia Slobonskaya, was severely injured in the attack but survived.

The two were swimming together near a sandbar about 20 feet from shore when they were attacked around 6 p.m., said Dorothy Toolan, a spokeswoman for Dare County Emergency Medical Services.

"They were coming in from the surf and were about 20 feet from the water's edge, according to witnesses," said Dr. Seaborn Blair, who was on call at an island medical center.

As they were wading in water that was not over their heads, both started screaming at once, witnesses told Blair.

Blair said the attack was an anomaly along the Outer Banks. "I've seen people who've been bit before by bringing sharks in on fishing lines, but I've never seen an attack in 11 years that I've been here," he said.

"I'd say the best word for it was gruesome," Blair said. "I mean it was violent. I mean, it looked bad, I mean, God a'mighty .. it's something I'll never forget, and certainly something I don't ever want to see again."

Photos:

Maps:

Shark Attack, popular places

Tags:

swimming , shark , shark attack , fatal , killed