‘I had this really bad vibe.’ Snorkeler tells how she was attacked by a shark off Florida
A TikTok user documented a horrific experience while in the waters off Dry Tortugas National Park late last month.
In a series of videos, Heather West, 42, explains how she was attacked by a shark.
The Texas woman, who travels to the country’s parks in a van says she and group were heading to Loggerhead Key, on of the park’s islands, to snorkel on Little Africa reef.
WARNING: IMAGES MAY BE DISTURBING TO SOME VIEWERS.
Choppy conditions made them turn back to land. On the way back is when the frightening encounter occurred.
“Since I was last in line, everyone was out of the water by the time the attack happened,” West said. “I had this really bad vibe and something in me said, ‘Get out.’ ”
Not fast enough. The shark, which she believes was a lemon, came at her. At first, she thought it was one of her friends playing with her.
“But after the second pull, I knew exactly what was happening. I turned on my back to see this huge beast with my foot in its mouth.”
West, wearing flippers, said she could feel the fish’s teeth digging into her ankle. She began to kick.
When the shark refused to budge, West proceeded to punch it in the face “as hard as she could” for about 30 seconds, which did the trick. It let go.
West’s friends got her out of the water, where medics wrapped her bloody foot in what appears to be a painful procedure; she was seaplaned to Key West for medical treatment.
West’s “gimpy” foot thankfully was saved;. The tendons repaired with 20 stitches.
But in another video, she says she is still on the mend and can’t drive and is having problems with her insurance company paying for the bills.
