SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) – A man is sharing his story after he was attacked by a shark during a recent spearfishing trip in the Florida Keys.
Jose Abreu was spearfishing with friends and his children off the coast of Key West, on Monday. While in the water, he saw a bull shark swim up to him.
“He’s too fast, he’s too fast, I only say that this the end for me,” said Jose Abreu.
Abreu said it took 13 seconds for the shark to bite his shoulder, chest and right leg.
“You don’t have time, you don’t have time to do nothing,” said Abreu. “When the shark come to me, he coming to this way [showing the direction the shark attack him with arms] to my face and he put the mouth here [points at chest],” said Abreu.
Luckily his friend saw the attack and quickly jumped into the water and bravely swam up to the shark, shoving a spear in its mouth.
“My friend is coming to the shark and hit him with speargun,” said Abreu.
The friend repeatedly hit the shark with the speargun as Abreu’s kids watch from the boat.
“My kids, I say ‘Hey daddy, no die, no die,’” said Abreu. “I said ‘Hey don’t worry, this is small, this is nothing, this is small.”
Once the shark swam away, Abreu’s friend called for help and had him airlifted to Jackson South Medical Center
The man said he is alive today due to the quick response from his friend and first responders.
“I am here for my friend,” said Abreu. “He saved my life.”
Now Abreu’s advice is to never spearfish alone.
“When you fishing alone, you don’t have a chance, you don’t have an opportunity for nothing,” he said.
Abreu said he is in good spirits and is motivated to recover from his injuries to get back to spearfishing. He plans to start physical therapy in the next few days.
The odds of being bit by a shark is 1 in 11.5 million.
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