Warning issued after man dragged into water by shark in Florida

The man was airlifted to hospital

A fisherman, who has been identified only as Nick, was leaning over the side of his boat after catching and releasing a fish he caught in the Florida Everglades.

But as he washed off his hands, a shark appeared and grabbed his arm with its mouth, pulling him headfirst into the water.

Footage, shared online by fishing guide Captain Mark Gore, shows the man then scrambling to try and get back on the boat.

One of the other people on the boat at the time, Michael Russo, said that they quickly rushed back to land, with Nick then airlifted to hospital by park rangers.

He said: "Today was one of the scariest days on the water I have ever had. It started off great and we were crushing the fish but the sharks were eating some, despite our best efforts.

"After releasing a snook, Nick washed his hands in the water and was immediately bit by a large [lemon] shark. There was no chum or blood in the water and the sharks were unprovoked.

“The sharks are no joke in the Everglades and the warnings about keeping your hands out of the water are not an exaggeration. Please take this as a lesson and keep your hands out of the water because this could have been prevented.

"He was rushed back to the dock and the Park Rangers were a lifesaver (literally). He was airlifted to the hospital and is in the best care possible.”

A number of other anglers familiar with the Everglades issued warnings as well after seeing the clip, the Star reports.

Responding to the clip, Captain Perry Scuderi said: “We have been telling anyone that would listen that we have a major shark problem in the Everglades and Islamorada. Hands in the water is a bad move after releasing a fish.”

And Captain Mike Venezia said: “I could show you a dozen places where there are packs of these lemon sharks lurking below. We can’t fish in those areas anymore because it’s so bad. Anywhere from the size of the one in this video to 250lbs plus.”

Related links:

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