MARATHON, Fla. — A 30-year-old Georgia man was airlifted to a Miami hospital Sunday after a shark attacked him as he snorkeled with his family in the Florida Keys.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to WSB-TV that a shark bit Andrew Eddy in the shoulder, describing the injury as severe.
“This was a very rare medical crisis for the Florida Keys, but everyone came together — including those witnesses on the boat to 911 Communicators to all our emergency responders — in order to ensure this victim received life-saving care,” Sheriff Rick Ramsay said in a prepared statement.
Adam Linhardt, the sheriff’s office public information officer, told the newspaper that witnesses described the suspected bull shark as 8 to 10 feet in length and that Eddy was attacked almost immediately upon entering the water.
According to the Key West Citizen, the attack occurred at Sombrero Key Light, where Eddy and his family were snorkeling on the reef from a private boat.