Megan Oberle, a junior at Westside High School, was attacked by a shark when she was 11 years old. Since the attack Oberle has competed in numerous swimming competitions over the years.
“I remember feeling a scratch on my legs and then seeing the big wounds and running halfway across the beach to my mom,” Oberle said. “I asked her for bandaids and didn’t start freaking out until she said I had to go to the hospital.”
Oberle was attacked on a family vacation to Madison, CT. The shark left marks across her legs about four or five inches long.
“I have scars on both of my legs,” Oberle said. “They ended up keloiding, so they are puffy and pink when I’m warm and purple when I’m cold.”
The shark who bit Oberle was a sand tiger shark. According to oceanactionclub.org, sand tiger sharks average between 6.6 and 10.5 feet in length and range from 200-300 pounds. These sharks have a white sandy color unlike its counterpart, the tiger shark who has stripes across its body. Sand tiger sharks are also described to have a pointed nose and protruding teeth.
“It was the 3rd of July so all of the EMTs were already at the beach for the firework show later that night,” Oberle said. “My dad drove our friend’s car to Yale Pediatric Hospital where I had x-rays taken to see if there were any shark teeth in my legs.”
After Oberle had been x-rayed, she and her mom talked to the radiologist about her injuries. While talking with the radiologist Oberle noticed a dragonfly tattoo down her arm.
“I told her I wanted to get a rose tattoo on my wrist,” Oberle said. “My mom and I got matching tattoos with dragonflies this summer because she made a tremendous impact on our lives.”
Oberle started swimming competitively after the attack and completely pushed past any fear of the water. Today, Oberle thinks of the attack as a step in her swimming career and plans on continuing her passion in college.
“I have gained a lot of nicknames over the years like ‘The Meg,’ ‘Baby Shark’ and ‘Shark Bait,’” Oberle said. “My parents got me a swim cap that says ‘Shark Bait’ for my birthday about a year after I was attacked and it’s stuck ever since.”
Oberle has never had fear of the water and is in the recruitment process to swim in college. Oberle plans on majoring in exercise science on the pre-physical therapy track. Oberle also plans on swimming after college as a hobby.
“I was never afraid of the water even after the attack,” Oberle said. “To this day, I still want to go back to that beach and swim again.”
Oberle also involved herself in the marching band, jazz band, and concert band as well as the varsity track and cross country teams at Westside. Before that, Oberle had been a dancer for 12 years.
“I didn’t have any other injuries from the attack, but I have had multiple other injuries to my knee and shoulders from swimming,” Oberle said.
Oberle has received numerous awards for swimming and is a three-time midwestern swimming champion.
“I have lots of medals from meets and I got the best teammate award during rec league over the summer,” Oberle said.
Oberle swims for the Greater Omaha Aquatics. It is located in several community centers around the city that allow the team to use their pools.
“I got the Coaches Leadership Award this past summer. It’s given to athletes who show leadership and character in and out of the pool,” Oberle said.
Despite the shark attack, Oberle continued to swim and achieve great success. Her resilience and positive attitude became a symbol of strength and determination. Oberle’s story showed that even the toughest challenges couldn’t stop her from reaching her achievements.
