A surfer was bitten by a shark in Lake Worth, Florida September 24.
The unidentified man was carried by a wave into a school of fish around 10 feet away from the Lake Worth Pier.
Witnesses saw an 8 to 10-foot long shark that had been feeding on the fish, bite the man’s arm.
Lifeguards and fellow surfers were able to assist the man back to shore around 2 p.m. and administer first aid.
“A few surfers that are from here, whose names I won’t mention, really rescued the guy and one lifeguard in particular was really a superstar about it all, as far as comforting the guy, and just kind of keeping him cool and keeping the shock from really kicking in,” Dean Holley, who was surfing nearby at the time, told ABC affiliate WMAR .
The injured man, who had serious lacerations to his right arm, was provided oxygen to help keep him conscious.
“He started going white, which was really really scary,” witness Peter Pereira told the Sun Sentinel. “It was just a ghastly thing to see.”
Pereira said the lifeguards’ efforts were heroic.
The surfer was taken to a local hospital for further treatment.
The species of shark involved has not been identified.
There have been a total of 80* shark attack bites in 2017, 5 of which were fatal*; 38 were reported in the US, with 25 occurring in Florida** and one in Hawaii. Twelve have been reported in Australia, one of which was fatal. Five unconfirmed worldwide and not included in the total count.
All locations have been marked on the 2017 Shark Attack Bites Tracking Map.
*Two may be scavenge. **One report may have been outside of Florida waters
Article will be updated as further information becomes available.
