A FISHERMAN who was attacked by a shark has revealed how he felt like he was being punched as sharp teeth pierced his flesh.
Marlin Wakeman of Florida feels “lucky” to be alive after slipping off a dock, diving into shark-infested waters and being dragged underwater.
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The 24-year-old was at Flying Fish Marina on Long Island on April 26 when he tried to jump onto the docked boat he was working on.
After falling into the water, Marlin was immediately attacked by a group of fierce predators who began feasting on his knee.
“When I ended up in the water, I knew very well what was going to happen,” he told reporters in Florida on Thursday.
He said the marina is often overrun by so many sharks that you could almost “walk on their heads” and falling in was something he always “kind of thought about.”
He added: “Me and my friends were talking about like, man, if you fell here, that’s it. You won’t even have a second to really react.”
Recalling the nightmare, the fisherman said of the first bite: “He grabbed me, pulled my head under the water and then let me go.
“I was really lucky he didn’t shake his head or hold it in for a while.”
Another shark bit his shoulder and at that moment the adrenaline kicked in and Marlin knew that if he didn’t act, he would die.
Fortunately, the young man managed to climb back into the boat, where the captain tied a tourniquet to his leg.
“I had so much adrenaline coursing through my body that it was like fight or flight,” he explained.
“I went back to the boat and assessed what happened and looked at my leg. She still wasn’t really bleeding. It was kind of, you know, all mutilated.
He said it was like “a punch” when the shark bit his shoulder, adding: “You don’t really feel the teeth to enter.”
He was later flown to Florida for surgery at St. Mary’s.
Dr. Robert Borrego said the shark punctured Wakeman’s kneecap and narrowly missed an artery. The trauma surgeon estimated the shark to be about 6 feet long, based on the size of the bite mark.
It wasn’t really bleeding yet. It was kind of, you know, all mutilated
Marlin Wakeman
Borrego said he expects Marlin to make a full recovery.
Despite saying he may have some “nightmares” after the attack, Marlin is not hanging up his fishing rod just yet and said he would get back in the water as soon as possible.
Caribbean reef sharks
- The Caribbean reef shark is one of the largest predators in the reef ecosystem and is about three meters long
- It is estimated that they live more than 14 years
- Its diet includes bony fish, large crustaceans and cephalopods
- They can be found in tropical waters, especially in the Caribbean Sea.
- They have four to six puppies per litter
- They mainly inhabit shallow waters, but have been recorded at depths of 29 meters.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
