Surfer Survives Second Shark Attack on Same Florida Beach
While it may be a common misconception that lightning doesn't strike the same place twice, apparently the same myth can be ruled out when it comes to shark attacks. Case in point, a Florida surfer was recently bitten by a shark on the same beach he was bitten more than a decade ago.
Cole Taschman, who runs the fishing company Cole Tashy Charters, was surfing at Bathtub Beach in Martin County, FL when he suddenly noticed a "beast" of a shark behind him. He later recalled to the local NBC affiliate WPTV 5 News that he believed it to be a tiger or bull shark. And then the shark chomped down on his feet.
"I looked behind me and he was he kind of was just like, on the back of me," Taschman explained of the shark, which he estimated to have been seven to eight feet long. "I just looked and I saw last-second him kind of going under and then he just kind of moved towards the side. I could kind of see his silhouette."
Thankfully, Taschman was able to catch a wave and swim to shore, where his friends and girlfriend were waiting. With the help of a local food truck operator, they were able to use surfboard leashes at a tourniquet for his legs and rush him to the hospital. They felt it was faster to drive for help than call 911 and wait for an ambulance.
"I actually blacked out. I almost passed out from shock or losing enough blood," he continued. "So [my girlfriend] is in the back slapping me, and [my friend] is driving like a madman trying to get me to the hospital. He’s dumping water on my head. They kept me awake, so thank god." All told, he required two surgeries to repair three severed tendons, as well as 93 stitches.
But the most bizarre detail about the story is that Taschman was bitten by a shark on the same beach back in 2013. However, his injuries this time around were much more severe.
"There's no comparison," he added. "It's like comparing an Olympic athlete to a high school athlete like, you know, the amount of trauma. It's so hectic how much worse this one was."