Surfer Experiences Second Shark Attack on the Same Florida Beach

In 2013, Cole Taschman survived a shark attack on a beach in Florida. This past week, he was attacked for a second time on the same beach, leaving him with serious injuries.

Surfer in the ocean / Unsplash

Cole Taschman is a Florida surfer who has been active in the sport for several years. On Friday, October 25, he was surfing at Bathtub Beach, Florida when he was attacked by a shark for the second time.

"I looked behind me and he was, he kind of was just like, on the back of me," Taschman explained to a news source. "I just looked and I saw last-second him kind of going under and then he just kind of moved towards the side. I could kind of see his silhouette."

Following the attack, Taschman moved to shore and was met by his friends and a food truck operator who worked together to create and apply a tourniquet before he was transferred to the hospital.

As listed in Taschman's GoFundMe campaign, organized by his girlfriend, Ana Peci, "The shark bit down on both his feet at once and he suffered from tendon damage and sustained deep wounds almost losing both his feet.

"I actually blacked out," he stated. "I almost passed out from shock or losing enough blood. So Ana is in the back slapping me, and Zach is driving like a madman trying to get me to the hospital. He's dumping water on my head. They kept me awake, so thank god."

The attack caused him to need two immediate surgeries to repair three of his tendons. It was reported that Taschman also required a total of 93 stitches, along with several staples. This second shark encounter was far worse than his 2013 attack.

"There's no comparison," he told the news source. "It's like comparing an Olympic athlete to a high school athlete like, you know, the amount of trauma. It's so hectic how much worse this one was."

His attack over ten years ago involved a smaller shark on Bathtub Beach. This time, the shark is believed to have been roughly seven to eight feet long.

As he works through his long recovery, Taschman expresses gratitude for his friends and would like to remind people to surf with a buddy, never alone. It is a miracle that he was able to survive a second attack.