A fisherman in Florida’s Everglades National Park was leaning over the side of his boat to wash his hands and was suddenly pulled overboard by a shark.
A video posted on Instagram and Twitter shows the man washing his hands while someone else in the boat warns him about putting his hands in the water. The man says “Two seconds won’t do anything.” After sticking his hands back into the water the shark quickly surfaces and latches on to his right hand pulling him off the boat.
“Get him!” another person repeatedly shouts as the man is pulled back out of the murky water.
The type of shark is unconfirmed but some media reported it as a lemon shark, which inhabits both estuarine and nearshore waters of the Gulf and Atlantic coasts of Florida.
In the Instagram post by @thequalifiedcaptain recounting the event, identified it as a bull shark:
“Today was one of the scariest days on the water I have ever had. It started off great and we were crushing the fish but the sharks were eating some our fish despite our best efforts. After releasing a snook elarjan washed his hands in the water and was immediately bit by a large bull shark. There was no chum or blood in the water and the sharks were unprovoked.
The sharks are no joke in the Everglades and the warnings about keeping your hands out of the water are not an exaggeration. Please take this as a lesson and keep your hands out of the water because this could have been prevented. He was rushed back to the dock and the park rangers were a lifesaver (literally). He was airlifted to the hospital and is in the best care possible.”
View this post on Instagram
It’s unclear how severe the fisherman’s injuries were, but according to the Miami Herald he was treated by NPS park rangers before being airlifted to Jackson South Medical Center in Miami-Dade.
Shark Attacks Fisherman in the Florida Everglades… pic.twitter.com/QuhAfW4hyb
— Human Nature (@Human101Nature) June 26, 2023
