A monster 6ft shark ripped a massive chunk out of a diving instructor's arm during a terrifying attack.
Zack Winegardner, 26, was spearfishing off the coast of Marathon, Florida, US, on September 6 when a 6ft-long bull shark "appeared out of nowhere" behind him and sunk its razor-sharp teeth into his right arm.
After realising he'd been bitten, Zack ascended 75ft to the surface and made his way back to shore before he was airlifted to Jackson South Medical Centre in Miami.
Zack said that the freak attack left him with a gaping hole arm, ripped the tendons in his wrist and imprinted teeth marks down the inside of his lower arm.
He spent ten days in hospital where he had an IV bacterial cleanse, around 90 staples and countless stitches in his arm, as well as a skin graft to patch up the "big chunk" missing from it.
This was followed by four months of physiotherapy to help regain the use of his hand.
Despite the intense therapy, Zack is still unable to fully bend his wrist or open his hand.
Zack says he had no medical insurance at the time of the accident as he was making a switchover from his parents' policy to his wife's.
His concerned gran set up a GoFundMe page to help him pay off the staggering $250,000 (£204,000) bill.
The instructor of six years, whose life revolves around the ocean, was unable to work while he was recovering but six months after the 'pretty nuts' ordeal, he's finally back in the water.
The animal lover believes the apex predator must have mistaken him for food and claims people feeding sharks on the docks are responsible for making them 'more comfortable' around humans.
Zack, from Marathon, Florida, US, said: "I went spearfishing off Marathon and shot a fish. I was heading back to the boat and a bull shark came from behind me and just latched onto my arm.
"The shark, about 6ft, most likely mistook me for food. It was probably going for my stringer and got my arm instead. It bit me, realised it didn't want me and then bolted.
"It was like a sharp, quick pain and then pretty much everything went numb after that.
"After it let go, I swam over to my buddies and pointed out that I'd been bitten and we did the ascent up to the surface from about 75ft, got on a boat and headed to a dock.
"I ripped my tendons in my wrist and it took a big chunk out closer to my elbow and left a lot of teeth marks I guess.
"It was pretty nuts. I was just thinking about getting back to land and then in the hospital they medicated me enough I don't think I really thought too much about it.
"I wasn't worried about dying but figured I was going to lose the arm. I'm very grateful that I still have it."
Zack was then rushed to a helicopter where he was flown 94 miles away to Jackson South Medical Centre in South Miami, Florida.
He spent ten days in hospital and is recovering well and despite having fingers that don't fully function, he's back in the water and teaching again.
Zack said: "I had something like 90 staples and who knows how many stitches. I got a skin graft from my thigh where a big chunk was ripped out and I had an open hole in my arm.
"I don't have permanent nerve damage but I have bruising that makes some of my fingers not work but I did four months of physical therapy to get my hand functioning.
"Certain movements don't work any more, like my wrist doesn't bend all the way like it used to and I have two fingers that won't come up. I can make a fist but can't open my hand all the way.
"My right pinky and ring finger don't work and then my thumb is just numb all the time, but they said that will come back when the nerve bruising goes away.
"It hasn't made me fearful of the ocean or water. I'm a little eerie when I can't see, but it's not stopping me."
People feeding sharks for fun is something Zack thinks has made the toothy fish less scared around humans and perhaps encouraged it to swim so close to him.
Zack said: "I think people feeding sharks for entertainment probably has a lot to do with it.
"People give sharks their leftover fish and they'll come up and eat it if you throw it in.
"The more people feed sharks at our docks, and they get comfortable around people, they're going to come up to us.
"It's always been a known thing that the animals in the water are scared of our bubbles because we're loud, but now they're coming up to us, I'm just the one that got got."
A GoFundMe has been set up to help cover the costs of Zack's treatment.
Zack said: "The GoFundMe was set up to help me because I'm a full time diving instructor so was booted out of the water for a while with no source of income.
"I believe the medical care costs roughly $250,000 (£204,000). The cost is all on me.
"I had just got out of my parents' insurance and had to wait for the insurance renewal and it happened in between those dates, so I had no insurance.
"I lost it in May and I was getting added on to my wife's insurance and I think the open enrolment was in October or something like that. I missed it by like a month.
"I'd appreciate to have more funds on my GoFundMe, every little bit helps as I've got a long way to go to pay this all off."
