A spearfisherman was bitten by a shark in the Bahamas.
The man, who has not been identified, was spearfishing from a shallow reef August 18 when he speared a fish around 3 p.m.
As he pulled in the fish, a 5-foot reef shark went after it and bit the man’s hand.
The victim, who is a safety diver for the shark diving company Shark Addicts, was able to return to his boat.
Other employees of the company, who were enjoying a day off together, administered first aid and transported the victim to Jupiter, Florida.
Paramedics were waiting on the group at a dock near the Square Grouper, a waterfront bar and restaurant.
The man, who appeared to be in his 20s, was transported to the hospital with nonlife threatening injuries.
Shark Addicts has not yet responded to requests for comments.
There have been a total of 69* shark attack bites in 2017, 5 of which were fatal*; 33 were reported in the US, with 21 occurring in Florida** and one in Hawaii. Nine occurred in Australia, one of which was fatal and one with no injury. Four 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.
