A 23-year-old man is recovering after he was attacked by a shark while spearfishing in the Florida Keys last week.
Parker Simpson told Global News that he and his friends go spearfishing multiple times a week and have had brushes with sharks before, but he had never been bitten.
Naturally, Simpson thought the eight-foot-long reef shark was going after his new catch, but even after he released the fish, the shark didn’t follow it.
“I saw [the fish] swim to the bottom and the shark kept coming at us. He didn’t even try to go for the fish,” he said. “It was out of pure aggression, I guess. Just going for us.”
Simpson explained that after the shark attacked him, it turned back and lunged at his friend. His friend was able to block the predator by shoving Simpson’s speargun into its mouth.
Although the incident occurred within a matter of a few seconds, Simpson said it felt like time slowed down.
He said when the shark bit down on his left leg, all he felt was a “strange pulling sensation.” On his way back to the boat, he said he lost feeling in his leg and had to be pulled aboard.
“Honestly, I didn’t feel any pain until I was on the boat and bandaging it 15 minutes later,” he said.
The shark’s bite severed Simpson’s anterior tibial artery, which had to be repaired with 56 stitches after he lost about a litre of blood. Doctors have told him he should stay out of the ocean for a few weeks after his sutures have healed – something that he admits will be difficult.
“I’m excited to get back in the water, I can’t wait,” he said. “It’s like an addiction – I can’t get enough.”