Shark takes a little nip

In the summer of 1916, a series of shark attacks in New Jersey waters left four people dead, gained international attention, and became the inspiration for "Jaws."

According to the International Shark Attack File (ISAF), there's been at least one more fatal attack in the Garden State since then and a few nips and bites over the last century as well.

None of them have been in Camden, in December, inside an aquarium.

Earlier this week, however, Adventure Aquarium confirmed that a volunteer diver with the New Jersey Academy of Aquatic Sciences was bitten on the ankle there in December by a sand-tiger shark, a big, nasty-looking fish with a set of sharp, ragged teeth that's actually fairly harmless. It was the first incident between man and shark, officials said, in the aquarium's 18 years.

"This was an accident; the uncertainty of animal behavior is always a risk," Greg Charbeneau, Adventure Aquarium's executive director, said in a statement.

The unidentified diver was entering the Shark Realm exhibit on Dec. 6, Charbeneau said, when he was bitten on the ankle. First aid was administered at the scene and the diver was later treated at Cooper University Hospital. Charbeneau said the diver has recovered and is back at the aquarium.

George Burgess, director of the ISAF, said the scary-looking and slow-moving sand tiger is popular in aquariums and minor encounters have occurred between captive specimens and divers before. He said he would define the Camden incident as more of a "workplace incident" than a shark attack.

"It's not a big deal for us, because they are not unprovoked shark attacks. That's what we look for," Burgess said. "Shark bites are a story, though. We know that."

Numerous volunteer divers at the aquarium declined to comment, but one source familiar with the aquarium said the incident was minor, and that the diver required "a few stitches." The source said the diver, who is experienced, accidentally "bumped" the shark while on the platform that leads into the tank.

Charbeneau said the aquarium's guest diving program and guest shark feeding program were discontinued over a year ago due to lack of public interest.

Sand tiger sharks are found on both coasts of the Atlantic as well as in South America and Australia. They can grow up to 10 feet long and weigh several hundred pounds, Burgess said. Despite its size and menacing appearance, the ISAF has documented only 29 attacks by the species, two of which were fatal.