A Florida man has survived his second shark attack in 11 years and can’t wait to get back out on the water – despite the terrifying ordeal.
Cole Taschman, 28, was out surfing with friends to commemorate a friend who had recently died when he felt the ferocious bite of a shark just off of Bathtub Beach, in Stuart, Florida, as reported by USA Today.
The afternoon incident was all too familiar with an earlier attack that Taschman experienced in 2013 – he had been 16 at the time – when a blacktip reef shark took a chunk out of his right hand – the same reef he headed out on last month.
Taschman had been out on the water saying prayers for their fallen friend with the two men just in front of his parent’s home when what he suspected was a bull or tiger shark locked its teeth on his feet.
The 28-year-old caught a glimpse of the seven to eight-foot creature as his limb was caught in the shark’s snare prompting him to cry out to his now-fiancee who was standing on the shore recording the heartfelt moment.
“I got bit! I need to get out of the water!” he screamed.
Ana Peci, Taschman’s fiance told CNN: “I was just freaking out. But I grabbed a towel and ran downstairs right away because I had no idea what to expect or where he was bit … and then I saw what condition he was in.”
In a frantic attempt to save the keen surfer’s limb, Peci and his friends, Hunter Roland, and Zach Bucolo used the leashes of Taschman’s surfboard to tourniquet his thighs to halt the profuse bleeding.
The group then decided to take matters into their own hands, holding off a 911 call, and instead opting for a chaotic drive to the nearest hospital.
Taschman had been dropping in and out of consciousness, as per a report from CNN.
Thankfully, the group got their stoic friend to Cleveland Clinic Martin North Hospital in Stuart for urgent treatment – he was later transferred to St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach.
After spending four days in hospital where he underwent two surgeries – a possible third is needed – 93 stitches and 10-15 staples, Taschman is finally back at home recovering from the ordeal, as per USA Today.
Taschman and his friends grew up in the Palm Beach County spot – a reef notorious for shark bites yearly and ranks as top third in Florida, as per USA Today.
