Historical reference record — not independently verified

Shark incident at False Cape Virginia USA, United States — 1973

ReportedUnknownUnknown

Original historical summary

The original reference is retained below. Supplementary source details appear in the fact panel; protected facts and unresolved differences remain unchanged.

A historical reference describes an event at False Cape Virginia USA, United States in 1973. Recorded activity: Unknown. Classification: Unknown. Outcome: Unknown.

Original reference details

  • Location recorded in the historical reference: False Cape Virginia USA, United States.
  • Date: 1973.
  • Activity: Unknown.
  • Classification: Unknown.
  • Outcome: Unknown.

Source limitations and unresolved differences

  • The retained evidence does not support a more precise activity; it remains Unknown.
  • The retained evidence does not support a more precise outcome; it remains Unknown.
  • The surviving evidence does not justify a more specific incident classification.
  • No shark species identification is supported by the retained evidence.
  • The date is intentionally shown with limited precision; no day is invented.
  • This restoration uses a supplied historical summary citing the general GSAF incident log, not a case-level primary document. It has not been independently verified.
  • The supplied source lists 1973-08-16; the existing reviewed date is retained pending case-level reconciliation.

Fact panel

Date
1973
Date precision
Year
Location
False Cape Virginia USA, United States
Country
United States
Activity
Crabbing (spearing crabs)
Incident classification
Unknown
Area / state
Virginia
Person / vessel
Chris DeFord
Age
17.0
Sex
M
Outcome
Unknown
Species
1.5 m to 1.8 m [5' to 6'] blacktip shark
Species confidence
Reported
Coordinate precision
Region

Incident location

False Cape, Virginia, United States

Approximate area: Virginia
The marker represents the named area, not the exact incident site.

The interactive map loads when it comes into view. Incident details remain available as text.

Location precision: Approximate area

Representative map position for Virginia from Natural Earth. This marks the general area, not the exact incident site. This is historical location context, not live shark tracking or a measure of risk.

Sources and verification

Shark incident records can change as investigations develop. This page shows the current verification status and was last restored from supplied historical reference material on 2026-09-04.

Historical facts retain the provenance and uncertainty of the cited references. Source timestamps record when the supplied material was imported, not an independent source retrieval or verification.

Supplementary content updated: 2026-09-24. This does not change the original verification status or review date.