For what it's worth -- and not minimizing the family's agony one bit (if anything, it's much worse this way) -- this is going around the internet:

Don Keast "the Silver Fox" is a retired USMC Col living and working in Pensacola. I consider him to be a credible source.

To All my buddies and friends that have called me (at the Pensacola News Journal) about the truth on the shark attack here on Pensacola Beach, the truth is coming out! There is a reason that the "hero" of the attack that wrestled that 7 foot shark to shore is not giving any interviews, and is
hard to find. There is a reason that this 7 foot shark was in 2 feet of water, and there is a reason that the family is "acting funny" about taking money from those that want to help .... here it is ..... hard truth ... Sit down....

THE UNCLE THAT WRESTLED THE SHARK ASHORE WAS FISHING FOR SHARKS, HAD IT ON A
LINE AND HAD BEEN FIGHTING IT FOR TWO HOURS PLUS.

The unidentified stranger that helped him also helped him fight the fish to
shore. When the shark got into two feet of water, the kids all ran into the water in jubilation and the shark lunged from off the ground and hit Jessie Arbogast twice, took his arm off and bit into his leg. !!!!!!!

The man had CHUM in the water, and heavy tackle built to fish for sharks.
His nephew got bit because the entire family went into the water trying to
wrestle the fish to land. There is big money on a shark that size.

The press has suppressed the real truth, because they are afraid that it will
affect the contributions for Jessie and the uncle is so filled with guilt, he has tried to commit suicide once already .... Now it all makes sense. NO MAN
is going to wrestle a shark that large to shore in two feet of water, that is
one powerful animal, and they had cut the cable, and hid the rods by the time
the Medic's got there.

The ranger that shot the shark testified that the shark still had the hook in his mouth and "put up a big fight because his mouth was all bloody and torn up".... (that is why the shark had blood all over it's mouth in the TV
photo's, it was it's own blood !!)

I am not lessening the horror of the event. Jessie did get an arm bit off and is going to recover, but I am tired of Pensacola Beach taking it in the shorts because of the "whole truth not being told".... The money, in my
opinion would still come in, and the uncle will have to accept that it was a tragic accident and a mistake.

(Sorry about the typo in the title -- "attack" not "attach" -- dark but completely unintentional pun.)

This is e-mail that has been making the rounds, and it is a vicious, hurtful lie. See what the Pensacola Journal has to say about it at:

http://urbanlegends.about.com/gi/dyn...al/ST013.shtml

Also, the About.com urban legends page has a report on it at :

urbanlegends.about.com/library/blshark.htm

The National Park Service has computer technicians trying to track the source of this apalling hoax, and are investigating whether any legal action can be taken against the originator, if they are discovered. It is a very sick person who would do something like this.

Sara's right. Check out www.snopes.com for the real deal. It's all a big lie as are most emails like it. Always check a good source like snopes before sending on these big lies.

What a sad state of affairs we find ourselves in.....is this what trolls grow up to be?

Same twisted individuals who propagated the antiperspirant causes breast cancer and Nutrasweet causes brain tumors garbage.
The internet provides a perfect opportunity for spreading this kind of stuff.
Hopefully this reality will teach today's younger kids to consume informatiom with healthy skepticism.

Floridian wrote:

"The press has suppressed the real truth, because they are afraid that it will
affect the contributions for Jessie "

...yeah right. Like the press would ever suppress anything.

...why come to a travel website to spread this garbage? what's your real motive, Floridian?

I really don't want to get into the middle of this controversy. My opinion is that if there were ANY truth to want Floridian reports, there would have been SOMETHING in the press. However, shark fishing occurs up and down the Florida coast (both Atlantic and Gulf). I have seen row after row after fisherman, with their rods stuck in the sand and their lines far out past the breakers, along the coast. AND there have been people swimming right alongside the lines. In addition, surfers say that they like the surf next to piers (for whatever reason the surf is usually better there), but that the surfers have come to be cautious around piers because fisherman who are fishing from the pier, typically clean their fish and dump the remains into the ocean off the pier, hence attracting sharks. We all need to be more aware and more considerate.

Being an avid fisher and living in Florida, that makes sense. I knew that the story that was given by the family wasn't true. They're acting suspicious. Don't be so naive, America!

Anyone naive enough to think that the press would supress this story or any other that puts them in first place for reporting needs to wake up. Reporters and editors are in the business of putting their own name out front. I applaud the family for taking care of themselves and avoiding the sharks in the parking lot looking for a story. These people do not owe us or the press any information.

It's a sad state of affairs when a family who does not choose to go on national TV to discuss a horrible tragedy is suddenly under suspicion.

Give these people a break - if it were my child, I'd want to be at thier bedside every waking moment, not talking to the Today show.