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Oct 31, 2024

Florida man bitten by sharks twice in Stuart, Bathtub Beach

The chances of being bit by a shark are low, with the probability sitting at 1 in 3.7 million chances, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History. A Stuart man has defeated the odds by being

The chances of being bit by a shark are low, with the probability sitting at 1 in 3.7 million chances, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History. A Stuart man has defeated the odds by being bit twice in a little over a decade.

When Cole Taschman was 16 years old, a 4- to 5-foot-long blacktip reef shark latched itself onto his right hand while he was surfing in waist-deep water at the "Stuart Rocks" break off Bathtub Beach.

Taschman used his surfboard to deliver blows to the shark's head to prevent it from biting him a second time. Then he slipped off his T-shirt, wrapped it around his mangled hand and paddled his way to shore.

He received 12 stitches and a cast.

Eleven years later, Taschman, now 28, sustained another shark bite while paddling out at the same beach on Oct. 25. This time, he said a seven- or eight-foot tiger or bull shark bit his feet in one bite.

His friends carried him to the beach and used surfboard leashes as a tourniquet around his legs to stop the bleeding before driving him to Cleveland Clinic Martin North Hospital in Stuart. He ultimately was transferred to St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach, where he had two surgeries and got 93 stitches.

"He came up behind me, and as he bit me, I looked behind me and saw him on me," Taschman said. "I just screamed at (friends) Hunter (Roland) and Zach (Bucolo), and they were already paddling toward me as they saw the thrashing, and luckily there was a wave coming right there, so I just got on that wave and rode it in on my belly."

Shark bites on the Treasure Coast:Here's how many have happened

Shark bites almost always occur close to the coast and it's rare for victims to see a shark approaching. Sharks don't bite more than once in most attacks. They frequently use three assault tactics: the hit-and-run, bump-and-bite, and sneak attack.

Olivia Franklin contributed to this report.

Gianna Montesano is TCPalm’s trending reporter. You can contact her at [email protected], 772-409-1429, or follow her on X @gonthescene.