Man critically injured after shark attack in northeast Florida

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A man in his 40s was critically injured in another shark incident Friday just weeks after three people were injured in two shark attacks off Florida's Gulf Coast, authorities said.

The victim, who was not identified, was hospitalized in critical condition after sustaining a severe bite to his right arm, Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper said late Friday afternoon. The agency's Marine Unit was on patrol off Amelia Island in northeast Florida when they received a distress call over the emergency radio shortly after 11 a.m., according to Leeper.

When deputies got to the boat, Leeper said they found a man with a severe shark bite to his forearm and was "bleeding pretty badly."

A deputy applied a tourniquet to the injured man's arm and piloted the man's boat to Dee Dee Bartels boat ramp, where members of Fernandina Beach Fire Rescue were waiting, the sheriff said. The man was airlifted to a local hospital where he is expected to recover.

Although shark attacks are still considered rare, Friday's incident follows three back-to-back shark attacks that occurred in the waters off Florida’s Gulf Coast on June 7. Two teenagers and a woman were injured in the attacks, authorities said.

According to Walton County officials, the woman lost her lower left arm and suffered "significant trauma" to other areas of her body. One of the teenagers had significant injuries to the upper leg and one hand, and the other had minor injuries on one foot. 

What to know:Shark attacks in Florida, Hawaii lead to closed beaches, hospitalizations

How many people are usually bitten in Florida each year?

Friday's attack would be only the ninth confirmed unprovoked shark attack in Nassau County since 1882, according to data compiled by the International Shark Attack File. 

The attack was also the first since July 2018, when two people were bitten by sharks in unprovoked attacks. In September 2015, a 12-year-old Georgia boy was bitten twice by a shark, suffering lacerations to his leg.

Other Florida counties, such as Duval and St. Johns, have had over 40 such attacks during the same period, according to the database established in 1958 and housed at the Florida Museum of Natural History. With 351 shark attacks, Volusia leads the state, followed by Brevard with 158 incidents and Palm Beach with 83.

According to the International Shark Attack File, the state saw 16 cases last year, which represent 44% of the U.S. total and 23% of unprovoked bites worldwide. This is lower than Florida’s recent five-year annual average of 19 incidents per year. 

The odds of being attacked by a shark are 1 in 11.5 million, according to Florida Museum of Natural History. Shark attack trends have also decreased in recent years — there was a 12.2% decrease in shark bites last year compared with 2022, USA TODAY previously reported.

In 2023, there were 69 unprovoked shark bites on humans worldwide, 36 of them were in the United States.

The International Shark Attack File said there were 14 confirmed shark-related fatalities worldwide last year, 10 of which were assigned as unprovoked. This number is higher than the five-year annual global average of six unprovoked fatalities per year. 

Researchers stress that fatal shark bites are extremely rare. USA TODAY previously reported that the odds of dying as a result of a shark attack in the U.S. is 1 in 3,748,067. 

How can you avoid being bitten by a shark? 

While the chances of being bitten by a shark are very rare, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission offers some tips on how to avoid being attacked while out in the ocean: 

• Always stay in groups since sharks are more likely to bite a solitary individual. 
• Do not wander too far from shore; this isolates an individual and places him or her far away from assistance. 
• Avoid being in the water during darkness or twilight hours when sharks are most active. 
• Do not enter the water if bleeding from an open wound or if menstruating — a shark's ability to smell blood is acute. 
• Wearing shiny jewelry is discouraged. When light reflects off shiny jewelry, it resembles the sheen of fish scales. 
• Avoid waters with known discharges or sewage and waters used for any type of fishing — especially if there are signs of baitfishes or feeding activity. Diving seabirds, which frequently feed on baitfishes, are good indicators of such activity. 
• Use extra caution when the waters are murky. 
• Be careful when occupying the area between sandbars or near steep drop-offs — these are favorite hangouts for sharks. 
• Swim only in areas tended by lifeguards. 
• Do not enter the water if sharks are known to be present, and get out of the water if sharks are sighted. 
• Never harass a shark. 

Contributing: Samantha Neely, Collin Bestor, Cheryl McCloud, and C.A. Bridges, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida; Janet Loehrke, USA TODAY