Man injured after being bitten by shark off Anna Maria Island: Officials

ANNA MARIA ISLAND, Fla. - A man is recovering in the hospital after he was bitten by a shark off Anna Maria Island, according to West Manatee Fire Rescue. 

Authorities say while they were offloading nearly a dozen people, including six children, to the Kingfish Boat Ramp on Sunday just after 4:00 p.m., another boat arrived with a man who said he had been bitten by a shark.

Fire Marshal Rodney Kwiatowski, who responded, said it has only happened a handful of times on Anna Maria Island.

READ: Video shows large shark swimming eerily close to people at Florida beach: 'That sucker came close!'

"It’s rare. I think probably this might be the third incident here since 2008 that I’ve been involved with," he said.

When the boat pulled alongside the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office Marine Patrol, in the back sat the man in his 20s who had been injured by a shark.

"You guys have a tourniquet on?" said a lifeguard.

The passengers on board responded, "yes."

Kwiatkowski says the tourniquet may have saved the man’s extremity. 

Lifeguards jumped on board to help as the boat carried the man to the King Fish Boat Ramp. He was then taken to Blake Hospital, with a wound on his lower leg. 

It didn’t take long for word of a shark bite to spread across the island.

"I was like ‘holy cow, we were in the water all day yesterday. We weren’t close by,’ but still the thought of a shark coming by you in the water is pretty terrifying," said Nikki Copher who was visiting from Chicago.

The bite happened just North of Bean Point.

"They’re definitely endemic to that location. It’s a big pass. There’s a lot of water flow that I've known to be somewhat of a sharky area. But luckily for us locally, there’s not a lot of incidents," said Dr. Valerie Hagan, a staff biologist in the Shark and Ray Conservation Program at Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium.

Dr. Hagan said sharks often go for a smaller meal, not something the same size as them. But mistakes can happen.

In 2011, C.J Wickerham an island native was bitten at Bean Point while spearfishing, he required more than 800 stitches to close the wound.

"If they can’t see and are exploring sometimes we get that accidental interaction which is normally a quick thing. They’re in and out. They take a feel, and they’re like no that’s not what I want, and they keep swimming," said Dr. Hagan.

She said if you are concerned about getting in the water, it’s best to swim in water you can see through.

As the man continues to recover, visitors said they’ll be more careful.

"The beach is beautiful. Everything around here is gorgeous. Being aware and enjoying your vacation is important," said Copher.