Florida Man Survives Shark Attack in Bahamas

Marlin Deere Wakeman, a 24-year-old from Stuart, Florida, miraculously survived a victim, near shark attack on April 26 after falling into the water at Flying Fish Marina in Clarencetown, Bahamas. Wakeman was on a fishing trip when he slipped and fell from a dock into the shark-infested ocean, where he was bitten by two sharks on his leg and shoulder.

Wakeman recalled the terrifying moment, saying, "When I ended up in the water, I pretty much knew what was going to happen. Next second, I'm in the water with, you know, a lot of sharks. I knew immediately, I gotta get back in the boat or this is gonna be really bad." Despite the severity of the attack, Wakeman managed to pull himself back onto his boat.

The sharks that attacked Wakeman were estimated to be at least seven feet long. "It felt like a punch" when the second shark bit his shoulder, Wakeman added. "You really don't feel the teeth going in." The wound on his leg was over a foot long and narrowly missed his artery.

man, fell, filled, got Wakeman's friend texted his father, Rufus Wakeman, to inform him of the incident. Rufus, a well-known fisherman, flew his son to St. Mary's Hospital in West Palm Beach, Florida, where he underwent stitches for his injuries. Dr. Robert Borrego, the trauma surgeon who treated Wakeman, remarked, "The fact that there's 20 sharks in there and you were able to get out of there and still have a leg is amazing."

Wildlife experts say the waters in Flying Fish Marina are infested with dozens of sharks, which have learned to associate the area with food due to fishermen cleaning and throwing scraps into the ocean. If attacked by a shark, experts advise fighting back by punching the animal in the nose, a sensitive area that can often deter it.

Wakeman's stitches came out on Thursday, and he is still on crutches. Despite the ordeal, he has vowed to head back to the Bahamas as soon as he can. Looking back on the incident, Wakeman reflected, "I realized, you know, how lucky I got. It was just, you know -- thanking my angels." victim