WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A Florida man who fell off a fishing boat last month at a marina in the Bahamas and was attacked by a shark is recovering.
Marlin Wakeman, 24, of Stuart, said during a Thursday news conference at St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach that he'd be returning to the Bahamas and the water as soon as possible.
“I may have some nightmares here or there, but I’ll be all right,” Wakeman said.
Wakeman was at the Flying Fish Marina in Long Island on April 26 when he tried to jump to the docked boat he was working on. He said at least 20 sharks swim around the marina at any given time because they're attracted to the discarded fish carcasses. Wakeman slipped and fell into the shark-infested water, and he was bit on the leg seconds later by what he believes was a Caribbean reef shark. Another shark hit him on the shoulder before he could get out of the water.
Wakeman said the boat's captain tied a tourniquet on his leg before he was taken to a clinic. He was later flown to Florida for surgery at St. Mary's.
Dr. Robert Borrego said the shark punctured Wakeman's kneecap and just missed an artery. The trauma surgeon estimated the shark to be about 7 feet (2 meters) long, based on the size of the bite mark.
Borrego said he expects Wakeman to make a full recovery.
“You threw my son under the bus. You didn't take care of him.”
The State of Florida and the VA are under scrutiny after the Baker Act was used incorrectly on a young veteran who went to a Florida VA hospital for help.
