Florida man hospitalized after shark bites 8-inch wound in his leg

Miami Beach Fire Rescue stopped the man’s bleeding, but he was taken to a hospital as a precaution.

Blacktip sharks migrate to southeast Florida in large numbers in the spring and fall, and return north to spend the summer off the Carolinas and Virginia. While in south Florida they form large aggregations often very close to popular beaches. This photo from a shark aerial survey in March 2016 shows a school of sharks swimming south along Palm Beach. [ COURTESY OF STEPHEN M KAJIURA OF FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY ]

Miami Herald

Published Oct. 8, 2020|Updated Oct. 8, 2020

A 31-year-old man was hospitalized Wednesday after a shark bit him in the leg on South Beach.

The blacktip shark attack, which occurred in the water near 10th Street, caused an 8-inch laceration on the man’s leg and led Miami Beach Ocean Rescue to fly a double red flag in the area warning beachgoers not to enter the water Wednesday afternoon, a city spokeswoman said.

Miami Beach Fire Rescue stopped the man’s bleeding, but he was taken to Ryder Trauma as a precaution. He was listed as being in stable condition, the spokeswoman said. There appeared to be baitfish schools in the area during the time of the incident, she said.

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