A young man spearfishing off the shores of Islamorada was reportedly bitten in the foot and ankle by a shark on May 5, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.
According to a report by the sheriff’s office, the man was spearfishing near Davis Reef off Islamorada, roughly 4 nautical miles southeast of Plantation Key, when he was bitten around 11:30 a.m.
The 22-year-old man, identified in a Miami Herald report as Ethan Wilder, was transported via Trauma Star to Jackson South Medical Center for treatment. He’s been released from the hospital. Wilder told the Keys Weekly he’s doing good. He said he saw the shark for roughly a second, which was enough for him to see its head.
“When I turned around and it had that oval bull shark head, so I’m like 98% sure it was a bull shark,” he told the Keys Weekly.
U.S. Coast Guard members responded to the incident on the water, transporting him ashore to the Coast Guard’s Islamorada station. From there, he was transported by Islamorada Fire Rescue ambulance to Founders Park where he was airlifted.
