Man reports being attacked by a bull shark while spearfishing in the Gulf

LONG BEACH, Miss. (WLOX) – A local spearfisherman caught more than he expected during a recent trip to the Gulf of Mexico.

On June 29, Wesley Fayard was the victim of a bull shark attack while he and his friends from the DeepWater Mafia dive club were fishing for red snapper about 50 miles south of Pascagoula.

“It happened really quickly,” Fayard said of the experience.

“(I was) about 100 feet down and had a couple of fish on the line, and (the shark) wanted them – obviously – as much or more than I did,” Fayard said. “And that’s why I didn’t see him. You know, he had no warning, he just turned around and there he was, coming after the fish and the steak just ripped a hole in my hand, and he pretty much got me.”

Fayard thanks a local doctor for his quick intervention and treatment of the wound.

“You know what? The bleeding wasn’t that bad, so I had about a minute to decompress, went back to the boat, and the gentleman sent a doctor on board. I didn’t even know the guy was a doctor. It was his first time diving with him, and he immediately got a towel, put pressure on the wound, and stood next to me.”

Fayard thanks not only the DeepWater Mafia team, but also the Bureau of Marine Resources and other first responders for rescuing him from this precarious situation.

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