Florida man bitten by shark while spearfishing said he had just 'one option'

A spearfisherman in Florida recounted how he survived a lightning-fast shark attack thanks to a friend who confronted the ocean predator.

Jose Abreu, 37, told WSVN-TV that he was spearfishing near a reef in the waters off Key West on Monday when a bull shark suddenly swam up and bit him multiple times.

“He’s too fast, he’s too fast,” Abreu told the station of the 8-foot shark. “I only say that this the end for me.”

The attack took just 13 seconds, according to Abreu, with the shark biting him on the leg and shoulder and attempting to chomp his chest. He said his only option for survival was to escape.

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“You don’t have time to be scared,” Abreu told WTVJ-TV. “Only you need to escape the shark. It’s the only option.”

Abreu said he was lucky to have been in the water with a friend, who swam up to the shark and jabbed it in its mouth with his speargun. After scaring the shark away, the friend called for help. 

Abreu says he survived the shark encounter thanks to a friend who attacked the shark with a speargun. Seven Mile Bridge, pictured above, connects many of the islands that make up the Florida Keys. (iStock)

If not for his brave friend, Abreu believes he might not have survived.

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“He saved my life,” Abreu told WSVN.

Abreu was treated ashore on Stock Island and then airlifted to a Miami hospital, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said.

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Abreu was expected to recover from his injuries, according to local media.