An experienced diver, once bitten by an alligator, was bitten by a shark July 29 in the Florida Keys, while a female surfer was bitten July 31 by a shark in water off New Smyrna Beach.
Justin Stuller, 38, who has been a certified diver since he was 12, was on vacation and swimming with his family in the Florida Keys July 29. He was checking beneath the surface searching for lobster while his family swam near the boat.
When the experienced waterman spotted an injured fish in some rocks, he dove to grab the fish. After verifying the size was not legal to keep, he returned the fish to rocks away from his swimming family.
“I put it in a hole, and right before I surfaced, wham,” he told Fort Myers News-Press. The force of the impact rolled Stuller over in the water, and that’s when he spotted an estimated 8-foot long lemon shark swimming away.
“I thought, oh man, that shark ran into me, then I thought, that shark bit me.” His next thought was to get his family out of the water. He surfaced to find his wife and 2-year-old already on the boat, but his niece was still swimming. He scooped her up and they returned to the boat.
Thankfully, he keeps a fully-stocked first aid and medical kit on his boat, and was able to treat several puncture wounds and the five- to six-inch bite just below his knee.
“I tied it off and actually lost very little blood,” he said. “It was pretty deep, but no bone. I was very lucky, no tendons,” he said.
Once back on shore he headed to Florida Keys Memorial Hospital and doctors sewed up the wound. He now has a new scar for his collection that includes alligator and spider bite scars on his leg.
Stuller has no issues with returning to the water and thinks the shark may have been going after the injured fish. “It’s one of those things, fish or no fish, to me it was an accident.”
Shark bites surfer off New Smyrna Beach, Florida
Megan Tossi, 22, was surfing near the 4600 block S July 31, on her board in chest-deep water, when a shark grabbed her right foot.
She said the shark shook its head a few times before releasing her foot. She made it back to the beach and paramedics were called a little after 5 p.m. After receiving treatment on the beach, she was taken to the hospital in a private vehicle.
She received multiple stitches to sew up the wound but is in good spirits.
This was the fourth shark bite in New Smyrna this year.
Carson Dicks, 11, and his cousin had just finished body boarding when the two decided to head to the beach. He was in waist-deep water round 5 p.m. when a shark grabbed his right foot. He quickly pulled back and the shark released its grip.
He was taken to the Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital where he had surgery the following morning.
Two other surfers were bitten in the area on the same day in March. Both had minor injuries.
All locations have been marked on the 2020 Shark Attack map.
