After falling into a shark-infested marina, a Florida man named Marlin Dear Wakeman candidly talked about how lucky he was.
According to ABC News, the 24-year-old man from Stuart was working on a boat in the Bahamas when he slipped into the Flying Fish Marina where his boat was moored. NBC News reported that the incident happened on April 26th.
“When I was bitten, I tried to pull myself back and he grabbed my leg and the first shark pulled me into the water,” Wakeman said at a news conference, according to WPTV. .. “I was a little confused, but… [then] I checked my surroundings and understood what was happening. ”
He added that although he was able to grab onto the boat with his left hand, another shark “came and hit me on the right side, right shoulder.”
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Despite the arrival of a second shark on the scene, the man was able to return to the boat and call for help.
“I just shook my head and I was really lucky that I didn’t get caught for a while,” Wakeman said of the first time he was bitten by the shark, according to NBC News.
“And that’s when I was able to get back to the surface,” he continued, adding of the second shark. ”
His captain, who was nearby, immediately came to Wakeman’s aid. The captain tied Wakeman’s leg with a tourniquet once he was out of the water, ABC News reported.
Wakeman recalled that after the adrenaline wore off, he began to feel severe pain and told the captain: Like, this isn’t it. ”
Wakeman was then taken to St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, for surgery, according to Dr. Robert Borrego, the newspaper reported.
“So out of all the marinas I’ve been to in my life working on boats, that one in particular is the best I’ve ever seen,” Wakeman told reporters about the marina where he fell. It’s the worst marina out there.” ”
“There are always 20 sharks roaming around,” he said, adding that he always told his friends that if one of them fell into the marina, “it’s over.”
“I have several friends who have been bitten, and when you see that happen, it’s devastating,” Wakeman’s father, Rufus Wakeman, said, according to NBC News. “Some of the hurt these people had to endure. And now it’s my son. It’s our son. And it’s just scary.”
PEOPLE has reached out to Flying Fish Marina for comment.
