Shark attack survivor in Bahamas speaks out about treatment

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla – A patient who survived a shark attack in the Bahamas and his surgeons will speak to the public about his treatment Thursday in West Palm Beach.

Marlin Yakemin of Stuart was in the southern Bahamas preparing items for fishing. He managed a three-foot jump at the Flying Fish Marina on Long Island. He slipped and fell into the shark-infested water.

“I took a little jump and the next thing I knew, I was bitten by a shark,” Yakemin said.

The Caribbean reef shark, about two meters long, pulled him underwater and bit him on the leg.

“It was a lot of pressure. I had no desire for spiciness at all. It was a lot of pressure,” Yakemin said.

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Yakemin struggled to get back into the boat. He managed to swim back. The deck board of the boat was low. Another shark hit him in the right shoulder.

“I was very lucky that I was able to get out when I did,” Yakemin said.

Bahamas doctors stopped the bleeding. Once at St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach, a trauma surgeon and an orthopedist intervened.

Dr. Robert Borrego, the trauma surgeon, said he was concerned about the risk of infection.

“He had a very large wound,” Borrego said, adding it was about 14 inches long.

Borrego said they also treated the stab wounds in the kneecap.