Posted on 04/14/2016 8:00:14 AM PDT by dennisw
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) -- A spearfishing trip left a diver injured and hospitalized after he was bitten by a shark.
According to rescue crews, the victim, who is in his 20s, was spearfishing about two miles out from shore when he was bitten by a shark multiple times in his arm.
Paramedics arrived on the scene of the Sailfish Marina after a boat carrying divers brought the shark bite victim to shore. Officials rushed the victim to the hospital shortly after. "He probably got bit pretty hard," said witness Marc Linsky. "The guy was laying on the floor and he was bleeding, I think from his shoulder. And within seconds, a bunch of police officers and EMT guys came and pulled him out, put him on a stretcher and gauzed him up."
Firefighters believe the diver was bitten by a bull shark. They said he was spearfishing for cobia, a fish that follows sharks hoping to eat scraps. This time though, the fisherman himself became the prey. "You could see the blood was coming through the gauze and they literally carried him off of the boat and then they wheeled him out and put him in the ambulance," Linsky said.
Experts said that spearfishing is one of those activities that can draw the attention of sharks because of the movement and the blood in the water.
The victim is extremely lucky he was bitten in his arm, but as of now, his injuries appear to be extensive. He is currently being treated at the hospital.
The victim's name has not been released.
VIDEO AND PHOTOS AT THE SOURCE
VIDEO AND PHOTOS AT THE SOURCE
VIDEO AND PHOTOS AT THE SOURCE
VIDEO AND PHOTOS AT THE SOURCE
Hunting fish.
Doing it wrong.
Und der Haifisch, der hat Zähne,
Und die trägt er im Gesicht.
Und Macheath, der hat ein Messer,
Doch das Messer sieht man nicht.
“Experts said that spearfishing is one of those activities that can draw the attention of sharks because of the movement and the blood in the water’
Yep, that’ll do it.
“They said he was spearfishing for cobia, a fish that follows sharks....”
That right there, enough to stop most people.
To me this is no different than hunting deer and having a run in with a wild boar, once in a while the native predator is gonna get the best of the human. After all, is their environment. But that’s not as sensational of a story for the illustrious media as a shark attack right before summer.
In a related story, a man in the Bronx did not successfully put out a fire by using gasoline.
They sure have a warped sense of what constitutes "lucky".
Misread title... Thought it said DRIVER.. haha
The sharks think you’re making Shish Kabob for them.
A little shaking. A little tenderizing, down you go.
“The sharks think youre making Shish Kabob for them.”
HA! This isn’t exactly the 1st time this has ever happened, I would imagine any open water ocean diver would know the perils of spear fishing. I’m not a diver but I’ve lived in Fla. most of my 55 years. I’ve heard stories of barracuda striking divers just because they has something on them that flashed from reflected sunlight. IMO the media just likes to run stories like this around the start of summer.
Wreck diving off NC, I could easily tell when there was spearfishing in the area within a day or two earlier as soon as I dropped in, cleared my mask and opened my eyes to see a 5 foot barracuda pull up alongside and greet me with that big, beady eye. Apparently for spear fishermen (I’ve never tried it but friends tell me), they shoot one, give it to the barracuda and hope to bag another before he comes back. One for the cuda, one for the bag... one for the cuda, one for the bag...
Nasty looking critters. First time, I nearly crapped in my wetsuit...
“One for the cuda, one for the bag... one for the cuda, one for the bag”
That sounds like a dangerous game right there. I’ll stick to the hook and line surf fishing technique. :^) Stay safe out there my friend.
Who is handing out the Darwin awards THIS week!?
When a person steps into the ocean, they drop down several rungs on the food ladder.
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