A split-second decision cost a man his life when he leapt into a dock only to be feasted on by a shark lurking below.
Thadeus Kubinski’s big splash triggered the beast to attack, taking huge chunks out of his torso and turning the water crimson red. The 69-year-old’s wife could only watch in horror as a scene reminiscent of the film, Jaws played out before her.
She had decided to enter the water by climbing down the ladder. But Thadeus’ decision to jump off the dock at Florida’s Boca Ciega Bay immediately led to tragic consequences as he locked eyes with his wife in his dying moments.
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The 9ft, 400lb bull shark had been feeding in the shallow water when it bit down on Thadeus’ right side. He bled to death after the bites crushed his rib cage and tore his liver.
(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
The shark bite in the shape of a crescent moon, ran around 15 inches from his right armpit to his hip, medical examiners later revealed.
“It was in there looking to find a meal, going about its normal existence,” marine biologist George H. Burgess, director of the International Shark Attack File at the University of Florida told the Tampa Bay Times.
“Quite frankly, the victim did not have a chance. The severity of the injury resulted in a very quick death.”
One of the couple’s five sons later told reporters that his mum had been unable to get the image of her husband’s horror-striken face out of her mind after she scrambled out of the water and called for help.
(Image: Massimo Eddy/Find My Grave)
She later told them that she saw a dorsal fin that was “just like the Jaws situation.”
Dr Marie Hansen of the Pinellas County Medical Examiner’s Office said: “He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Known as “Ted,” Thadeus was a Catholic who was proud to be Polish that he occasionally hung the flag of Poland outside his Belle Vista home.
He had five sons and three grandchildren when he died. He taught his grandsons to swim from the dock behind the house.
The tragedy from 2000 resurfaced in a video posted on YouTube earlier this week on the Fierce channel, attracting thousands of views and reams of comments.
One said: “Such a sad story. RIP and prayers to the family.”
Another wrote: “In this case he did jump into a feeding frenzy. Wrong place at the wrong time. The bite marks were huge.”
While one said: “Bull sharks are a very aggressive animal. Don’t underestimate them.”
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