Even in death, the 2-foot nurse shark refused to release its bite.
BOCA RATON, Fla. — It was an alarming sight for beachgoers when a woman walked out of the water with a shark biting a meaty portion of her right forearm.
And no matter what she did, the 2-foot nurse shark refused to release its bite. Even when it died.
Paramedics ultimately took the woman — with the dead shark still attached to her arm — to Boca Raton Regional Hospital on Sunday afternoon, according to Boca Raton Ocean Rescue.
The woman was stable, officials said.
“The shark wouldn’t give up,” said Shlomo Jacob, of Boca Raton, among the beachgoers who looked on. “It was barely breathing, but it wasn’t letting go of her arm, like it was stuck to her or something.”
Beachgoers said one or more people were antagonizing the shark in the water, and the woman was there, too.
The woman appeared near a lifeguard station with the shark attached to her. She remained calm, and a companion was holding the shark When paramedics arrived, they used a splint board to support the woman’s arm and the shark as she was placed on the stretcher to take her to the hospital.
Nurse sharks are common in offshore Florida waters and can grow up to 14 feet long. They are sometimes seen stationary on the ocean floor. They are known for having strong jaws filled with thousands of tiny, serrated teeth.