HOLLYWOOD, FLA. (WSVN) - New audio of a 911 call released captures the panic on Hollywood Beach after a man was rushed to the hospital with serious injuries after suffering a shark bite.
“We have someone here eaten by something in the ocean,” said a caller.
It was a shark biting a swimmer off the coast of Hollywood Beach Tuesday.
“Male with laceration to the arm, severe bleeding,” a dispatcher said over Broadcastify.
The man was already out of the water by the time rescue crews arrived.
“They were able to apply a tourniquet. He was conscious and alert,” said Hollywood Fire Rescue spokesperson Chai Kauffman. “They were able to take him to Memorial [Regional Hospital].”
Officials said the man, who is said to be in his 40s, has undergone surgery and is currently reported to be in stable condition and recovering well.
Chai Kauffman, the public information officer for Hollywood Fire Rescue, said he spoke with the man, who shared that he was visiting Hollywood Beach from Canada with his friends and family.
While the man was in chest-deep water with a friend, he saw a fish jump over his head followed by a large splash. At that moment, he told Kauffman, he realized he was injured.
Beachgoers who spoke with 7News wished the man well.
“So sorry to hear that. I hope they’re OK,” said one person.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said shark activity is highest from April to October, but despite this, bites in South Florida are still fairly rare.
Simon Cwirzen, 10, told 7News he didn’t venture into the water on Tuesday because of the seaweed.
“I’ve never seen a shark, but I’d love to!” he said.
He said, despite it being scary, if he encounters one up close, one should never be afraid.
But it isn’t the first shark bite reported this year across Florida.
Surf instructor Sam Hollis recounted the frightening moment he had his foot bitten by a shark last week as he surfed off New Smyrna Beach.
“It felt clamped and then it kind of felt hot because of the teeth and then it just kind of started pulling. It’s almost like a dog with a toy in its mouth,” he said.
In April, a man was sent to the emergency room after a shark took a bite out of his hand in Everglades National Park, south of Homestead
“I blacked out,” he said.
Surfer Cole Tascam needed two surgeries and 93 stitches after a shark attacked both of his lower legs.
Still, some perspective: in 2024, one monitoring group said just 47 unprovoked bites occurred -across the world.
Despite the rarity of shark attacks, officials said people who want to swim in the ocean should always be alert while in the water.
“To beachgoers, be aware of surroundings, that’s marine life’s home,” said Kauffman.
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