abc's alex marquardt tonight, the only american reporter to take us on board the rescue ship. >> reporter: early morning, a rescue boat launches. >> we're here to help you, you're all safe now. >> reporter: every s of this top deck filled with hundreds of people. they tell us there are 300 more down below. suddenly four more boats packed with people far more than the crew and their partners doctors without borders, can handle. they call for help. war ships from italy, ireland and germany arrive on the scene. in just the past two days almost 6,000 people were rescued. so far this year 90,000 people have taken this journey with hundreds of thousands more expected to do the same. they pack into the airless squalid holds below deck. we're told there are 250 people squeezed down here. they would have been crammed in here like cattle. absolutely miserable conditions. these are the lucky ones so many never make it this far. and they know it as italy comes into view the feeling of an old life ending is greeted with a celebration for the onto come. alex marquardt, abc news on the phoenix. >> thank

alex marquardt, abc news, on the phoenix. >> alex, thank you. >>> back here at home tonight and to the new alert as we head into summer after a terrifying shark attack at a popular beach in florida. a little boy swimming in shallow waters where so many children play and what authorities are now pointing to, the new surge in shark sightings on beaches in three states now. abc's matt gutman from florida. >> reporter: for a 10-year-old boy, terror struck in waist-deep water. >> trauma alert from a shark the bite. >> reporter: lucas vertullo bitten twice on the leg, just yards from shore on florida's cocoa beach on sunday. >> seemed in distress, ran out there and found out he had a bite. >> reporter: these pictures show the chaos as rescuers wrapped his bleeding leg in a towel. good samaritans carried him from the beach. he was air lifted to a hospital where he's now recovering. a bull shark blamed in that attack but it's great whites that are being spotted from new york to california, even cruising under water here in florida. but off the coast of the bahamas we recently learned that shar

. >> reporter: i'm alex marquardt for "nightline." >>> for more of our "nightline" partnership with bbc current affairs, visit our new youtube channel, xtwo. we'll be right back. >>> abc news "nightline," brought to you by ex-pedia. when you travel, we help you make all kinds of connections. connections you almost miss. and ones you never thought you'd make. we help connect where you are. to places you never thought you'd go. this, is why we travel. and why we continue to create new technology to connect you to the people and places that matter. automotive innovation starts... right here. with a control pad that can read your handwriting, a wide-screen multimedia center, and a head-up display for enhanced driver focus. all inside a redesigned cabin of unrivaled style and comfort. the 2015 c-class. at the very touchpoint of performance and innovation. i like my seafood like i like my vacations: tropical. and during red lobster's island escape, three new dishes take me straight to the islands. like the ultimate island seafood feast, with crab, lobster and jumbo shrimp. all you have to do.

abc's alex marquardt spent time living on a boat that was rescued and filed this report. >> reporter: this is the back deck of the "phoenix," an independent rescue ship. the people you see are some of the 372 migrants and refugees on board rescued in an extraordinary rescue operation. the men are here on the upper deck. they're all from the east african country of eritrea. the women and children are below as we make our way to sicily. this past weekend, there was a huge wave of boats leaving the coast of north africa, crossing the mediterranean. i got below deck on one of those small boats and got a look at the squalid, cramped conditions. we're told this is where 250 people made the journey. it's a very small space. they would have been crammed in here like cattle with very little air. there is a strong odor. it's dirty. there are bottles of urine everywhere and water coming up through the boards. absolutely miserable conditions. these migrants and refugees telling us that they got in those boats before dawn, pushed into the sea by smugglers that they paid thousands of dollars to for

alex marquardt got below deck to one of the small boats. >> reporter: we're told this is where 250 people made the journey. it's a very small space. they would have been crammed in here like cat. there's a strong odor. it's dirty. bottles of urine everywhere. miserable conditions. >> the people rescued have been taken to italy where they're allowed to disembark. alex said everyone he spoke with said they were ready to risk even death for a chance at a better life. >>> president obama is in the german alps this morning. the leaders of the biggest seven economies shared a working dinner this weekend. it's the second summit without russia. today, they'll focus on terrorism. >>> still ahead this morning, some good news for drivers out there. why it appears gas prices have already hit their summer peak. >>> also ags car abandoned on the highway. now the vehicle's owner, an nfl player being asked a whole lot of questions. >>> and shark attack. a young boy recovering after a scary situation in the water. what witnesses saw. [ explosions ] >>> that didn't take too long. that used to be the bertol

we're up "up all nightline" with abc's alex marquardt. >> it can only be described as a moving mountain of water. and that tiny spec flying down the face of a monstrous peak is a man garret mcnamara defying the sea gods as he surfs his way into the record books. at 47 years old, most professional athletes might considering retiring at the top of such a dangerous game but this daredevil hawaiian is still pushing the nfl, chasing one final prize, to surf the perfect wave. >> what does that wave look like in your head? >> when it comes, you'll see. >> and you've given it a name. >> big mama's out there. she's looming out there in the deep. >> this is where he's convinced he'll find her. just off coast of a sleepy fishing village in portugal called nazara. he's found a place that regularly produces record breaking sets. a phenomenon fueled by a massive underwater canyon just offshore that powers the swells from three miles deep. for generations fishermen were practically the only souls willing to brave the dangerous surf. >> thousands of people die here because the waves. >> so did you grow

alex marquardt got below deck to one of the small boats. >> reporter: we're told this is where 250 people made the journey. it's a very small space. they would have been crammed in here like cattle. with very little air. there's a strong odor. it's dirty. there are bottles of urine everywhere. water coming up through the boards. absolutely miserable conditions. >> such a dangerous voyage. the people rescued from the ship have been taken to italy, where they're allowed to disembark. alex is reporting that everyone he spoke with said they were ready to risk everyone death for a chance at a better life. >>> president obama is in the german alps this morning. for the second day of the annual g-7 summit. the leaders of the world's seven biggest economies shared a working dinner on sunday. it's the second summit without russia. which they rejected over its actions in the ukraine. today, they'll focus on terrorism. including a meeting with iraq's prim minister and president obama. >>> still ahead this morning, some good news for drivers out there. why it appears gas prices have already hit their

let's get to alex marquardt with the latest on that third attack. alex good morning. >> reporter: that's right. the death toll in the capital of kuwait now up to 16. it was a particularly chilling attack because it came at the height of the busiest time of the week. friday playrayers one eye witness saying 2,000 people were in that mosque for friday prayers and isis claiming responsibility saying in a statement they were attacking the shiite mosque which they call temple of resectionist. they call. >> pam: shiites heratics. a very grisly day at the second week oframadan. this is peers to be what we're seeing right now. >> alex marquardt reporting in. we'll have much more throughout the day. in the meantime the other news. as we are on the air in the west we're aware of a major heat hef you're dealing with. >> so many waking up dreading another day at 100 or 110-plus. this is las vegas. all of the smoke coming through and quick look at the hot cities now brought to you by copper tone >> good morning, i am meteorologist mike nicco with the bay area fo

. >> abc's alex marquardt on the mediterranean sea. look for more of his exclusive reporting from the rescue ship this week on "nightline." >>> a newly signed member of the super bowl champion new england patriots has a lot of questions to answer. brandon spikes was re-signed by the team lalast month and he played for the pats between 2010 and 2015. a mercedes reg jerred to him was found with front-end damage and abandoned in boston. police responded to another car that was rear-ended but the people inside didn't see the vehicle that hit them. authorities want to know if there's any connection between these incidents. >>> a woman who was hit by a broken bad the fenway park on friday night remains in serious condition. take a look at this. tanya carpenter had surgery after the incident. her friends describe her as lucid. they've set up an online fund-raising page for carpenter, who they call a hard-working single mom. >>> the nba finals game two, cleveland/golden state, it did not disappoint once again we went into overtime again. first