NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- There was a different kind of feeding frenzy along local beaches Monday.

After a weekend in which there were six reported shark bites along Volusia's shores, the national media swarmed into the area chasing stories like remoras following sharks.

Four television networks -- ABC, CBS, CNN and NBC -- had crews providing live feeds to a national audience throughout the day.

"The people want it," said Angel Harper, an Atlanta-based producer for CNN/Newsource, which sells news footage. "We have had people from Las Vegas, Denver, Phoenix, all over, booking us. The whole country is interested in this."

ABC, CBS and NBC each had live interviews with bite victims during their morning shows, with one of the most popular guests being New Smyrna Beach resident Jeff White.

The 20-year-old has the double distinction of not only suffering a shark bite Saturday while surfing near Ponce de Leon Inlet, but he said he also once survived being hit by lightning while on the telephone during a surfing trip to Costa Rica.

"My friends say I should play the lottery," he quipped after an on-camera interview with NBC correspondent Fredricka Whitfield for the network's "Today" show.

Another victim, Jason Valentin, 19, of New Smyrna Beach, thought all the attention was somewhat ridiculous but didn't turn away any interviews.

Valentin, who underwent surgery on his left hand for a shark bite Saturday, said his encounter brought him to the realization that you need to be observant when you are in the water.

"The sharks have been very aggressive lately," Valentin said.

Neither man said they would let their shark encounters stop them from returning to surfing.

Larry Doyle, a senior producer from CBS News in Miami, acknowledged the coverage was somewhat overblown, but said his crews were in town because this is the slow summer news season. That, along with recent shark attacks in Pensacola and the Bahamas, have piqued the public's interest, he said.

"Television is driven by pictures like the sharks off (Florida's west coast) last week," Doyle said.

Whitfield said the sheer number of bites over the weekend sparked her network's interest.

"This seems unusual to people who do not live here," she said.

Whitfield said she believes the stories do have a benefit.

"If anything this is going to make us all more cognizant of what is around them (while swimming in the ocean)," she said, admitting covering it will not keep her out of the water but will make her more cautious.

Not everyone was happy with the media attention.

Richard Vyse, manager of the New Smyrna Beach Holiday Inn, said within 45 minutes after the networks aired their morning shows he had six cancellations.

"They said they do not feel safe in our waters," he said of his potential guests. "I tried to explain this was an isolated incident but had to admit it does happen."

Vyse said he does not fault the media for covering the story because he has an obligation to tell his guests of possible problems, but this kind of publicity is not good for New Smyrna Beach or Volusia County.

Steve Dennis, executive director of the Southeast Volusia Chamber of Commerce, agreed.

"These kinds of things are not what we like to have representing our area," he said. "However, we can't avoid them. We are swimming in the shark's habitat, they are not swimming in ours."

Chambers of commerce and visitors centers in New Smyrna and Daytona Beach said they fielded telephone calls from concerned potential visitors, but none said the sharks would stop them from visiting the area.

Susan McLain, spokesman for the Daytona Beach Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, said her agency's single call concerned beach closures.

"We told them there were no closures in the Daytona Beach area," she said.

The water from Ponce de Leon Inlet south for about half a mile was off limits shortly after 11 a.m. Monday after a lifeguard spotted a shark in the area. However, Beach Patrol officials said people were allowed back in about 45 minutes later.