STUART, Fla. – A 24-year-old Florida man survived a harrowing experience after he slipped off a boat while fishing in the Bahamas.
Marlin Wakeman, of Stuart, was fishing at a marina last month when he fell off the boat and into the water.
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He said within seconds, as he was trying to climb back on board, two 7-foot Caribbean reef sharks attacked him.
“I was holding onto the covering board and (one of the sharks) grabbed me, pulled my head underwater and then let go of me,” Wakeman said. “I got really lucky he didn’t head-shake or hold on for awhile.”
Wakeman suffered large wounds on his knee and shoulder.
“If I was in the water for another two seconds, there definitely was another shark right there that probably would have grabbed me, and who knows what would have happened after that,” he said.
Wakeman was rushed to a hospital and underwent surgery.
Doctors said he’s expected to make a full recovery.