Man in Florida in critical condition after shark attack

According to authorities, a man was left in life-threatening condition due to blood loss after being bitten by a “severe shark” on Friday in East Florida.

The Nassau County Sheriff’s Marine Unit said they found the man on a boat, losing a lot of blood from a severe injury to his forearm.

“A deputy acted quickly, boarded the vessel and applied a tourniquet to stop the bleeding,” the sheriff’s office said.

An officer then took control of the watercraft and took the man to a boat ramp where local fire officials were waiting.

The victim was flown to the hospital by helicopter and remains in critical condition, the sheriff’s office said. He is expected to recover soon.

The man was aboard a boat on Florida’s east coast when the shark attack occurred, officials said.

The incident occurred shortly after two separate shark attacks that injured three swimmers off Florida’s Gulf Coast in early June.

One of the women had to have part of her arm amputated after she was bitten in Walton County in northwest Florida.

In addition to the amputation, she also suffered “critical injuries” to her hip, authorities said.

On another beach just a few kilometers away, two young girls were attacked in the water on the same day.

One of the girls suffered “serious injuries to her thigh and hand,” while the other suffered minor injuries to her foot, officials said.

Shark attacks are more common in Florida than in most other parts of the world.

In 2023, there were 16 unprovoked shark bite incidents in Florida, according to the University of Florida’s International Shark Attack File.

This represents 44% of the total in the United States and 23% of the total worldwide.

There were no fatalities from shark attacks in the state last year.

According to the University of Florida’s International Shark Attack File, there are about 70 to 100 shark attacks worldwide each year, resulting in about five deaths.