Diver hospitalized after shark bite during spearfishing trip -- West Palm Beach
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) -- A spearfishing trip left a diver injured and hospitalized after he was bitten by a shark.
According to rescue crews, the victim, who is in his 20s, was spearfishing about two miles out from shore when he was bitten by a shark multiple times in his arm.
Paramedics arrived on the scene of the Sailfish Marina after a boat carrying divers brought the shark bite victim to shore. Officials rushed the victim to the hospital shortly after. "He probably got bit pretty hard," said witness Marc Linsky. "The guy was laying on the floor and he was bleeding, I think from his shoulder. And within seconds, a bunch of police officers and EMT guys came and pulled him out, put him on a stretcher and gauzed him up."
Firefighters believe the diver was bitten by a bull shark. They said he was spearfishing for cobia, a fish that follows sharks hoping to eat scraps. This time though, the fisherman himself became the prey. "You could see the blood was coming through the gauze and they literally carried him off of the boat and then they wheeled him out and put him in the ambulance," Linsky said.
Experts said that spearfishing is one of those activities that can draw the attention of sharks because of the movement and the blood in the water.
The victim is extremely lucky he was bitten in his arm, but as of now, his injuries appear to be extensive. He is currently being treated at the hospital.
The victim's name has not been released.
