A man suffered a “severe bite to his right arm” Friday after a shark attack off Florida’s east coast, officials said.
The Nassau County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit was on patrol when a distress call came in from the boat around 11:15 a.m. local time. When they arrived, they found the victim had a “severe bite to his right arm” and quickly applied a tourniquet to stop the bleeding.
“The deputy pilot steered the boat to the Dee Dee Bartels boat ramp where Fernandina Beach Fire Rescue crews were waiting,” the sheriff’s office said. Social media post.
The victim was immediately airlifted to a nearby hospital. He is currently listed in critical condition but is expected to recover, officials said.
Officials did not release any additional information.
The incident comes after three people — a woman and two teenage girls — were injured in two separate shark attacks off Florida’s Gulf Coast earlier this month.
Local authorities have warned Swimming hazards in Florida’s waters.
“Purple flags indicate the presence of dangerous marine life and single red flags indicate high risk conditions,” the Bay County Sheriff’s Office said in a social media post earlier this month.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission That said, shark activity in Florida waters typically peaks between April and October.
“Shark bites are still rare. Humans are 30 times more likely to be struck by lightning in Florida than bitten by a shark,” it said. “Experts agree that the increase in shark bites in recent years is related to an increase in human visitors rather than an increase in shark numbers or activity.”
