Blog

Oct 29, 2024

Man bitten by what he says was a shark at Bathtub Beach

MARTIN COUNTY − Cole Taschman said he was resting at home Monday after what he said was a shark bite last week in Stuart left him with 93 stitches following two surgeries. Taschman, 28, of Stuart,

MARTIN COUNTY − Cole Taschman said he was resting at home Monday after what he said was a shark bite last week in Stuart left him with 93 stitches following two surgeries.

Taschman, 28, of Stuart, said the shark encounter that injured both feet happened Friday afternoon at Bathtub Beach as he surfed with his friends and girlfriend.

"I was paddling just regular, not even trying to catch a wave or anything and about a seven or eight foot, I'm not sure if it was a tiger (shark) or if it was a bull (shark), either or one of those two sharks came up behind me and bit me, and it was one bite and it got both of my feet," Taschman said.

Taschman said the entire incident only lasted about 15 seconds, noting he was full of adrenaline from everything happening so fast. He said the shark got both feet and they bled profusely.

"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 towards 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."

Taschman said his friends carried him up 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 said he wound up being taken to St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach where he had two surgeries and got 93 stitches. He said he got home Monday.

"I actually almost passed out in the car, Zach was pouring water on my head, and (girlfriend) Ana (Peci) in the backseat was smacking me in the face trying to keep me awake," Taschman said. "I'm doing good in recovery, yeah, just taking it day by day, still in a wheelchair."

It's not the first time Taschman has been bitten by a shark.

In 2013, Taschman, then a Jensen Beach High School student, was bitten in the hand by a 4- to 5-foot-long blacktip reef shark while surfing the "Stuart Rocks" break off Bathtub Beach. That encounter left him with 12 stitches and a cast.

Following the most recent incident, Taschman said it's a great example of why not to surf alone because you never know what could happen.

"Keep your friends close to you," Taschman said

Taschman's friend Zach Bucolo, who was with him at the time of the incident, said they have been friends for a while and they were always in the ocean together.

Bucolo said they were all hanging out when they heard Taschman screaming that he got bit. He said his first thought was making sure they got him to the beach safely since they were in an area with a shallow reef and a high tide.

"When I got up to him by the beach, he really just seemed in shock," Bucolo said. "Obviously, we knew that he had got bit, we didn't know how bad it was and he said that he was fine, but needed to go to the hospital."

Bucolo said he had first aid and CPR training so he tried to help as much as he could before leaving for the hospital.

"We definitely went pretty fast to try and get him there," Bucolo said. "I had some experience in that aspect, and just kind of wanted to use the tools that I knew could help at least prevent the injury from becoming a lot worse."

Bucolo said they did not call 911 because the two grew up surfing on that beach and he responded to the situation based on his understanding of the area.

"If it was further away or the situation was different, obviously, call 911, but it was just borderline to the point where I was like, no, we can just get him there and he's going to be fine," Bucolo said.

Bucolo said he and another friend who was with them returned to the beach to check out Taschman's surfboard and inspect it for bites.

"I think he got pretty lucky. It definitely could have been a lot worse," Bucolo said. "We didn't see any bite marks or any signs of how big the shark was."

Jensen Beach:Stuart woman drives golf cart through outdoor dining area in downtown Jensen Beach

Port Salerno:105-year-old woman survives Port Salerno tornado that destroyed her house

Olivia Franklin is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Olivia on X @Livvvvv_5 or reach her by phone at 317-627-8048. E-mail her at [email protected].