Man Attacked By Shark While Spearfishing In FL Keys: Monroe Sheriff

MARATHON, FL — A 20-year-old Miami-Dade County man was bitten in the leg by a shark while spearfishing with two others off Marathon Thursday afternoon, according to the Monroe County Sheriff's Office.

The victim, who is in stable condition, was later identified as Kevin Blanco, according to reports. The shark was also later identified as a bull shark.

The attack happened around 3 p.m. and Blanco's friends immediately brought him ashore on a private boat to the Sunset Grille & Raw Bar, the sheriff's office said.

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“I saw the shark bite down on his leg (and) went into survival mode to help my friend,” Danny Maduro, the victim's friend, told Local 10 News.

A Trauma Star helicopter landed on Seven Mile Bridge to airlift him to Jackson South Medical Center in Miami for treatment, MCSO said.

This is the second shark attack in the Florida Keys this month. A 22-year-old spearfisherman was airlifted to Miami May 5 after being bitten in the ankle or foot by a shark.

Blanco recalled what he could of the attack during an interview with NBC6.

"I just got blindsided by the side, my left outer thigh. I don't really remember the pain, butI remember the pressure and the force that he hit my leg with," he said. "It felt like I got hit by an F150. And I felt the pressure slowly closing in on my leg. Everything was going in slow motion."

While the cuts were deep, the shark didn't hit a major artery.

Blanco said the shark, which he estimates "was probably anywhere 9 or 10 feet and about 500 pounds," bit him twice, according to WSVN.

“I’ve been in the water a very long time. I’ve never seen a shark act like this," he said.

The victim added, “He came out of nowhere, 20 or 30 mph, and I just see the big gray figure of him just there, and I see it every time I close my eyes, no joke, and he let go and swam away, and my number one thing was getting to the surface.”