NEAR SUMMERLAND KEY, Fla. (WSVN) — A Florida man learned the hard way that even smaller sharks use their teeth to bite down on things … like his pinky finger.
The TikTok video, also posted on Facebook, showed the moment Brett Reeder reached down from a boat to grab a shark off the Florida Keys.
All of a sudden, the marine predator chomped down on the boater’s pinky and refused to let go.
Several agonizing seconds went by as Reeder attempted to free himself from the shark’s clenched, bloodied jaws.
[Expletive]! Oh, my God,” said Reeder.
The disturbing turn of events followed what was supposed to be a fun family day out on the water for the Parish, Florida resident and his loved ones.
“We were shark fishing out by Content Keys, north of Summerland Key, and we hooked about a 5- to 6-foot lemon shark,” said Reeder.
Reeder said they were catching all kinds of fish when they hooked a shark in the gill area and wanted to get the hook back out.
“And I perilously tried to unhook it,” he said.
But when he reached out to the shark, things took a sharp, nasty turn, as the shark bit down on Reeder’s left pinky.
“He got the left side of my hand and got my pinky and started twisting it,” he said. “Luckily, he let go.”
The shark swam away moments later, leaving Reeder in dire need of medical attention.
Fortunately, his cousin Courtney is a nurse and was on board at the time. She put a tourniquet on his arm.
Reeder said he was able to drive the boat back to shore, where paramedics were waiting.
“The first responders and the helicopter that took me to Miami, they were absolutely perfect,” he said.
Reeder said he learned a tough lesson. Next time, he’ll just let the shark go.
“This was just a provoked bite,” said Mandy Reeder, the victim’s wife.
“Yeah, my fault. I put myself in that position,” said Reeder.
So what happened to Reeder’s left pinky? In a TikTok video posted Friday, the family confirmed he did not lose the finger.
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