Georgia man bitten by shark while snorkeling in the Florida Keys

MARATHON, Fla. — A 30-year-old Georgia man was airlifted to a Miami hospital Sunday after a shark attacked him as he snorkeled with his family in the Florida Keys.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to WSB-TV that a shark bit Andrew Eddy in the shoulder, describing the injury as severe.

“This was a very rare medical crisis for the Florida Keys, but everyone came together — including those witnesses on the boat to 911 Communicators to all our emergency responders — in order to ensure this victim received life-saving care,” Sheriff Rick Ramsay said in a prepared statement.

According to the Key West Citizen, the attack occurred at Sombrero Key Light, where Eddy and his family were snorkeling on the reef from a private boat.

Adam Linhardt, the sheriff’s office public information officer, told the newspaper that witnesses described the suspected bull shark as 8 to 10 feet in length and that Eddy was attacked almost immediately upon entering the water.

Cox Media Group