A spearfisherman is recovering after being attacked by a reef shark in Trinidad and Tobago.
The man, who wishes to remain anonymous, swam to a small reef around 6:30 a.m. on Feb. 4 off the North Coast.
He said the water was murky as he milled around waiting for the sun to fully rise when he spotted a small redfish and speared it. After reeling in the fish, he stabbed it with his knife, draining its blood to enhance its flavor.
The man spotted another red fish, took aim, and speared it. He knew something was wrong when the fish swam over his shoulder, and he soon found out why.
“The shark just speeding coming in to get the fish end up latching onto my shoulder, violently grabbing on and shaking, at that point in time, I started to swim up and shake it off,” the man told the Guardian.
A blacktip reef shark bit the man’s shoulder multiple times, while the fish erratically swam around, entangling the man in the spearline.
“He [the shark] came in again, and I ended up nudging him, and he went away a lil bit, set back the gun, and the next time he came in, I ended up shooting him in the gill,” the man said.
The man hooked the spearline to his fishing buoy and then swam roughly one-half mile, to one-quarter mile back to shore. Once on the beach, he headed to the hospital.
“They put stitches, about 35 or 40 stitches, one stitch each to a wound. They say they couldn’t close it because of bacteria in the shark’s mouth as well as the ocean.”
The incident has instilled fear in some ocean users, but the resilient fisherman intends to return to the water once fully healed.
Tracking Sharks suggest that spearfishers promptly remove shot fish from the water. If the fish are placed on a buoy or stringer, it’s advisable to ensure it floats independently and is not tethered to any person.
Another fisherman was bitten by a shark in the Maldives
An unidentified man was on a fishing boat on Feb. 6 when he was bitten on the right forearm by a shark.
He was taken to shore where medical personnel were still trying to stop the bleeding.
Both incidents are considered provoked, as fishing activities often attract sharks.
The approximate locations have been marked on the 2024 Shark Attack Map.
