I was attacked and dragged underwater by sharks in the Bahamas – it felt like I was being beaten when they bit me – The US Sun

A FISHERMAN who was mauled by a shark revealed it felt like he was being punched as razor-sharp teeth pierced his flesh.

Florida resident Marlin Wakeman feels “lucky” to be alive after slipping from a dock, falling into shark-infested waters and being dragged underwater.

The 24-year-old was at the Flying Fish Marina on Long Island on April 26 when he tried to jump to the docked boat he was working on.

After Marlin fell into the water, he was immediately attacked by a group of wild predators who began to feed on his knee.

“When I landed in the water, I pretty much knew what was going to happen,” he told Florida reporters on Thursday.

He said that the marina was often inundated with so many sharks that you could almost “walk on their heads” and that he was always “somehow thinking about falling in.”

He added: “My mates and I were talking about, man, if you fall in here you’re done. You won’t even have a second to really react.”

Recalling the nightmarish ordeal, the fisherman said of the first bite: “He grabbed me, pulled my head under the water and then let me go.”

“I was very lucky that he didn’t shake his head or hold on for a while.”

Then another shark bit his shoulder and at that point the adrenaline kicked in and Marlin knew that if he didn’t act he would die.

Luckily, the young man managed to drag himself back onto his boat, where the boat captain tied a tourniquet to his leg.

“I had so much adrenaline running through my body that it was like fight or flight,” he explained.

“I got back in the boat, assessed what had happened and looked at my leg. It hasn’t really bled yet. It was kind of, you know, all garbled.”

He said it felt like a “shock” when the shark bit him on the shoulder, adding: “You really don’t feel it.” Teeth go in.”

He was later flown to Florida for surgery at St. Mary’s.

Dr. Robert Borrego said the shark punctured Wakeman’s kneecap and narrowly missed an artery. The trauma surgeon estimated the length of the shark to be around 2 meters based on the size of the bite mark.

It hasn’t really bled yet. It was kind of, you know, all garbled

Marlin Wakeman

Borrego said he expects Marlin to make a full recovery.

Although he said he may have some “nightmares” after the attack, Marlin isn’t hanging up his fishing rod just yet and said he will return to the water as soon as possible.