A shark attack off Florida's east coast left a man with a “severe bite to his right arm” on Friday, authorities said.
The Nassau County Sheriff's Office Marine Unit was on patrol when it received a distress call from a boat around 11:15 a.m. local time. When they arrived, they found the victim with a “severe bite to his right arm” and quickly applied a tourniquet to stop the bleeding.
“The deputy then piloted the boat to the Dee Dee Bartels boat ramp where Fernandina Beach Fire Rescue was waiting,” the sheriff's office said in a social media post.
The victim was immediately taken to a nearby hospital. He is currently in critical condition but is expected to recover, authorities said.
Officials did not provide any additional information.
The incident comes after three people, a woman and two teenage girls, were injured in two separate shark attacks off Florida's Gulf Coast earlier this month.
Local authorities have been notified swimmers from the dangers in Florida waters.
“Purple flags indicate the presence of dangerous marine life and individual red flags indicate high risk conditions,” the Bay County Sheriff's Office said in a social media post earlier this month.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says shark activity in Florida waters is usually at its peak between April and October.
“However, shark bites are still very rare. Humans are 30 times more likely to be struck by lightning in Florida than by a shark,” he said. “Experts agree that the increase in the number of shark bites in recent years is more related to an increase in human visitors than to an increase in shark populations or activity.”
