Shark bites Florida angler on dock, in second incident of the week

A shark bit a Florida angler on the foot Friday, in the second shark bite incident of the week, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.

The 35-year-old man was fishing from a dock on Flagship Drive, Summerland Key around 8 p.m., and as the shark was hooked and reeled up onto the dock, it bit him, the sheriff’s office told CNN.

“The shark was reportedly out of the water and on the dock when it bit the angler,” the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post.

The man was flown to Jackson South Medical Center in Miami for treatment, though his condition was not known, the sheriff’s office added.

A day earlier, a 20-year-old Miami-Dade County man was bitten by a shark while spearfishing, according to the sheriff’s office, who said he was airlifted to Jackson South Medical Center in Miami.

Kevin Blanco was diving off the coast of Marathon when the bull shark bit him on the leg, according to CNN affiliate WSVN.

“He actually bit me twice, and it was probably around anywhere, 9 or 10 feet, and about 500 pounds,” Blanco told the station. “He came out of nowhere, 20 or 30 mph, and I just see the big gray figure of him just there, and I see it every time I close my eyes, no joke.”

Shark bites in Florida are rare and usually not life-threatening, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The commission advised taking safety precautions, like staying in groups and avoiding water during dark or twilight hours, when sharks are most active.