Shark attack Florida: Man in critical condition of blood loss after 'severe bite' from shark

The man was aboard a boat on the east coast of Florida when the shark attack occurred, officials said. The Nassau County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit said they found the man on a boat and he was losing a lot of blood from a critical injury to his forearm.

“Acting swiftly, a deputy boarded the vessel and applied a tourniquet to stop the bleeding,” the sheriff’s office said. An official then commandeered the watercraft and took the man to a boat ramp, where local fire rescue officials were waiting.

The victim was airlifted to hospital and remains in critical condition, the sheriff's office said. He is expected to recover.

The incident comes after two separate shark attacks that injured three swimmers in the Gulf Coast of Florida earlier in June. One of the woman had part of her arm amputated after being bitten in Walton County in north-west Florida.

At another beach just miles away and on the same day, two teenage girls were attacked while in the water. One of the girls suffered "significant injuries to the upper leg and one hand" while the other had minor injuries on one of her feet, officials said.

Shark attacks are very common in Florida. In 2023, Florida had 16 unprovoked shark bit incidents, according to the University of Florida's International Shark Attack File. That makes up 44% of the US total and 23% of the worldwide total.