Shark attack: '8ft shark' ravages man's leg at Bathtub Beach in Florida - his second attack at the same spot

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A surfer has miraculously survived an attack by what he described as an “8ft shark" at a beach in Florida.

It was his second run with an apex predator at the same spot. Cole Taschman, a surfer and owner of Cole Tashy Charters, was out catching waves with his friends at Bathtub Beach in Martin County, Florida, when he noticed the massive predator, thought to be either a tiger or bull shark, ominously trailing him.

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According to WPTV, Cole estimated the creature's size to be a terrifying seven to eight feet. He explained the chilling moment the shark clamped down on his leg.

In his own words, Cole recounted: "I looked behind me and he was he kind of was just like, on the back of me. I just looked and I saw last-second him kind of going under and then he just kind of moved towards the side.

A surfer has miraculously survived an attack by what he described as an “8ft shark" at a beach in Florida. (Photo: GoFundMe)A surfer has miraculously survived an attack by what he described as an “8ft shark" at a beach in Florida. (Photo: GoFundMe)
A surfer has miraculously survived an attack by what he described as an “8ft shark" at a beach in Florida. (Photo: GoFundMe) | GoFundMe

“I could kind of see his silhouette." After catching a wave back to the safety of the beach, quick action from friends and a local food truck operator, who used surfboard leashes to control the bleeding, likely saved his life.

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They chose to drive him directly to the hospital instead of waiting for emergency responders, the Daily Star reports. Cole mentioned he "blacked out" because of the pain.

This was not his first shark attack at Bathtub Beach. He was attacked previously while surfing in 2013, however he said "there's no comparison" between the two. He said: "The first one was a tiny little reef pup. It's like comparing an Olympic athlete to a high school athlete like, you know, the amount of trauma. It’s so hectic how much worse this one was."

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