SCARY SIGHT: Shark bites, drags man into Florida waters
'There was no chum or blood in the water and the sharks were unprovoked.'
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Visitors to Florida’s Everglades National Park are usually worried about coming into contact with alligators and snakes.
Now you can add sharks to that list.
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SCARY SIGHT: Shark bites, drags man into Florida waters Back to video
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In a video that has gone viral, a man fishing in a small boat at the park’s Flamingo Marina found out the hard way on Friday.
“I wouldn’t put your hands in there,” a person off-camera advises the man.
“Ah, two seconds won’t do anything,” he replies.
The man then puts both hands in the water and a shark immediately bites his right hand, dragging him in. A blood stain can be seen on the boat when he reaches back to the vessel while falling into the water. He was quickly pulled back onto the boat.
Instagram account @florida shared the video from Michael Russo and reposted a warning from Florida Sportsman Magazine for when on the water in south Florida.
“Anyone who fishes in saltwater is well aware of the growing shark problem as they learn to associate boat motors and thrashing fish at the end of a line with an easy meal,” the magazine wrote.
The shark attack victim, identified as Nick, was sent to hospital to treat his wounds.
“[Friday] was one of the scariest days on the water I have ever had. It started off great and we were crushing the fish but the sharks were eating some, despite our best efforts,” Russo said.
“After releasing a snook, Nick washed his hands in the water and was immediately bit by a large [lemon] shark. There was no chum or blood in the water and the sharks were unprovoked.
“The sharks are no joke in the Everglades and the warnings about keeping your hands out of the water are not an exaggeration. Please take this as a lesson and keep your hands out of the water because this could have been prevented.”
The Everglades had not seen any reported shark bites this year, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported.
And according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, shark bites are “extremely unlikely” in the state.
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