A Florida man faces a grueling recovery following a ‘severe’ shark attack this past Friday, the aftermath of which was caught on camera.
The images, released by The Nassau County Sheriff’s Office Saturday, show the unnamed victim sitting in a rescue boat immediately after the vicious thrashing, during which he suffered a bite to his right arm.
Bleeding out, the fisherman was eventually airlifted to a nearby hospital, where he is still listed in critical condition.
The man, who is in his 40s, is expected to survive, and is only the latest to fall victim to a surge of shark attacks on Florida’s infamous Gulf Coast.
Local authorities have warned swimmers of the dangers of such waters, as three women were hurt in two separate attacks earlier this month.
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Photos show how a Florida man faces a grueling recovery following a ‘severe’ shark attack this past Friday, where he suffered a bite to his right arm while fishing and was airlifted to a hospital
Cops who responded to the crisis offered an update in the form of a video posted to social media that same day, in which Sheriff Bill Leeper (seen here) detailed what had just happened
Cops who responded to the most recent crisis offered an update in the form of a video posted to social media that same day, in which Sheriff Bill Leeper shared images of the man’s injuries.
‘At 11:15 a.m. today, the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO) Marine Unit responded to a distress call reporting a shark bite,’ he said.
‘A man aboard his vessel had suffered a severe bite to his right arm.
‘Upon arrival, NCSO deputies found the victim with a critical injury.
‘Acting swiftly, a deputy boarded the vessel and applied a tourniquet to stop the bleeding. ‘
The deputy then ‘piloted’ the man’s boat to a nearby boat ramp, where the Fernandina Beach Fire Rescue had been waiting, Leeper said.
‘The victim was immediately airlifted to a nearby hospital. He is currently listed in critical condition but is expected to recover,’ the sheriff concluded.
Officials did not provide any additional information – aside from the fact that after being airlifted to the nearby UF Hospital, the victim was ‘alert and… recovering.’
‘At 11:15 a.m. today, the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO) Marine Unit responded to a distress call reporting a shark bite. A man aboard his vessel had suffered a severe bite to his right arm. Upon arrival, NCSO deputies found the victim with a critical injury,’ Leeper said
‘Acting swiftly, a deputy boarded the vessel and applied a tourniquet to stop the bleeding. The deputy then ‘piloted’ the man’s boat to the Dee Dee Bartels boat ramp, where rescue officials were waiting. He was then airlifted to a hospital, where he is currently in ‘critical’ condition
Earlier this month, three people were injured in shark attacks around Walton County – all on beaches located on the Sunshine State’s western shore within a few miles of each other.
At the time, the South Walton Fire District warned onlookers: ‘Please do not underestimate the open water and any of the marine life that could be present.’
In the first instance, a 45-year-old woman was ‘reportedly swimming just past the first sandbar with her husband’ near WaterSound Beach, before being bit on her midsection and pelvic area and left arm officials said.
Her left lower arm had to be amputated, officials in that case said, adding how she too was airlifted to a trauma facility for treatment.
The second attack occurred at the Sandy Shores Court area of Seacrest Beach a few days later, four miles east of the first incident.
Two unnamed girls ages 15 and 17 were in waist-deep water with a group of friends when they were attacked, with with one of the girls suffering significant injuries to her upper leg and one of her hands, and the other receiving more minor injuries to her foot, officials said.
The first girl, at the time, was reported to have been in critical condition while the third was in stable.
Earlier this month, three people were injured in shark attacks around Walton County – all on beaches located on the Sunshine State’s western shore. Pictured, A great white not related to any of those attacks, two of which left people in critical condition
The incident also comes weeks after a well-known surfer was killed by a shark in Hawaii on Sunday, after working as a lifeguard with Honolulu Ocean Safety since 2016
The incident also comes weeks after a well-known surfer was killed by a shark in Hawaii on Sunday, after working as a lifeguard with Honolulu Ocean Safety since 2016.
‘The world knew Tamayo [Perry as a surfer and an actor, but to those who knew him best, he was a man of deep faith… now taken too soon,’ his wife Emilia told ABC news of the 49-year-old victim.
‘I feel so upset and devastated. But I also have a weird calmness in my heart knowing that he’s in a better place.’
The last fatal shark incident in Hawaii was December 30 when a man surfing off Maui was attacked about 150 yards from shore.
Nassau County, meanwhile, is located about 150 miles north of Volusia County, a part of Florida considered to be “shark bite capital of the world,”
There, there were 17 recorded shark bite bites in 2021, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File.
Individuals in the state also were subject to 16 attacks last year, a number that accounts for 44 percent of all of the attacks that year in the entire U.S.
The victim, seen holding out his savaged arm in the censored images, has not been named.