‘I ended up in a shark den': Bahamas shark bite survivor speaks

A man who was bitten by two sharks in the Bahamas last month spoke for the first time Thursday after recovering from his injuries at a South Florida hospital.

Marlin Deere Wakeman, 24, was bitten in the knee and the shoulder by two different sharks on April 26 at Long Island in the Bahamas.

At a news conference at St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach, Wakeman, from Stuart, explained how he was working on a boat at Flying Fish Marina when he slipped and fell into the water, where multiple sharks were swimming around.

Wakeman said one shark went after him immediately and pulled him under, before the second one moved in and bit him.

"A lot of pressure," Wakeman said when asked what he felt when the sharks bit him. "The one on my shoulder felt like a punch... You really don't feel the teeth going in."

Wakeman was able to pull himself into the boat, likely saving his life. He received treatment in the Bahamas before he was transported to St. Mary’s.

Doctors said one of the shark bites just missed Wakeman's artery.

"Pretty crazy experience," Wakeman said.

Wakeman said sharks are common in the area and people even feed them by throwing fish carcasses into the water, treating them like "pets."

"You can walk on their heads almost. It's a pretty crazy thing to see," he said. "I've always kind of thought about it, me and my buddies were talking about like, man, if you fell in here, like, you are done."

Wakeman was asked his advice for people worried about sharks in the water.

"Don't be scared," he said. "Keep in mind, sharks are apex predators."

A recent report released by the Florida Museum of Natural History found that the Sunshine State had the most unprovoked shark bites in the country last year.

According to the report, in 2023, there were confirmed 69 unprovoked bites around the world. Of these, 16 were from Florida alone.

This figure was down from the five-year average, the report said.