A Florida angler was bitten on the foot by a shark on Friday, marking the second time in the last week that someone suffered a shark bite, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office reported.
“The shark was reportedly out of the water and on the dock when it bit the angler,” the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post.
Officials shared that the man was taken to the Jackson South Medical Center in Miami for treatment. His condition was not shared by the sheriff’s office.
While speaking with CNN, the sheriff’s office identified the angler as a 35-year-old man, who it said was bitten at around 8 p.m. after the shark was hooked and reeled onto the dock.
The sheriff’s office shared on Facebook that just a day prior to the man being bitten, a 20-year-old Miami-Dade County man had a similar encounter with a shark while spearfishing.
That man was also airlifted to Jackson South Medical Center in Miami, according to the sheriff’s office.
The 20-year-old who was bitten, Kevin Blanco, spoke with WSVN about the incident, saying it was a bull shark that took a nibble on his leg.
“He actually bit me twice, and it was probably around anywhere, 9 or 10 feet, and about 500 pounds,” Blanco told the station. “He came out of nowhere, 20 or 30 mph, and I just see the big gray figure of him just there, and I see it every time I close my eyes, no joke.”
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reports that shark bites in the state are not common and that when they do occur, they don’t usually result in life-threatening injuries.
To best be prepared and to avoid a “Jaws” like situation, the commission says to stay in groups, avoid water during dark or twilight hours, and ensure you are aware of up-to-date safety precautions.
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