A 20-year-old spearfisher shared his story after he survived getting bitten by a bull shark in the Florida Keys. NBC6’s Christian Colón reports
A Miami-Dade man was airlifted to a hospital after he was bit by a bull shark while spearfishing in the Florida Keys Thursday, officials said.
The 20-year-old man, later identified as Kevin Blanco, was spearfishing with his friends off Marathon when he was bitten in the leg by a shark around 3 p.m., Monroe County Sheriff's Office officials said.
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Blanco was brought ashore in a private boat to the nearby Sunset Grille & Raw Bar. A Trauma Star helicopter landed on the Seven Mile Bridge to airlift him to Jackson South Medical Center in Miami.
"I just got blindsided by the side, my left outer thigh. I don't really remember the pain, but I remember the pressure and the force that he hit my leg with," Blanco told NBC6 from his hospital bed. "It felt like I got hit by an F150. And I felt the pressure slowly closing in on my leg. Everything was going in slow motion."
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Blanco is currently in stable condition. Pictures showed deep cuts in his thigh, but doctors said the shark didn't hit a major artery.
"The good thing is he didn't have any major artery bleeding or big vessel bleeding, so we know he can have a full recovery," said Dr. Antonio Marttos of Jackson South.
Blanco said his friends had a lot to do with his survival — they are all freediving certified. Once they saw the bite, they helped lift him onto the boat and tied a tourniquet.
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"I saw the shark open its mouth and bite down into his leg. And for a half second, I was in major shock, staring at him. And then I went into survival mode to help my friend," Daniel Maduro said. "We were 70 feet down. And I noticed he let out all his air, and he screamed. My first instinct was to drop everything I had and grab him by the armpits and to help him get to the surface without blacking out."
Blanco has had two surgeries so far and will need therapy as he recovers. He said he might hold off on spearfishing, but can't wait to go back underwater.
