Shark bites fisherman as he poses for photo on Florida beach, rescuers say

A fisherman removed a hook from a shark’s mouth on a Florida beach and was posing for a photo when the animal whipped around and bit him.

The 47-year-old and his buddies were shark fishing from a beach the evening of Aug. 16 on the island of Cayo Costa, which is only accessible by boat, Boca Grande Fire Chief C.W. Blosser told McClatchy News.

Shawn Meuse told WBBH one of his friends reeled in a lemon shark, and he stepped in to help remove the hook from the shark’s mouth.

A video shared by Meuse shows him holding the shark and appearing to pose for a photo, then the shark turned and bit his right leg below the knee and plunged back into the surf.

Meuse’s fishing buddies applied a tourniquet and called 911 as they drove the boat back to Gasparilla Island, where the Boca Grande Fire Department and Lee County emergency medical personnel met them on the beach, the fire chief said.

He was airlifted to a hospital for treatment, according to Blosser.

“It’s unfortunate, but it’s something that happens…” Meuse told WINK from the hospital. “Luckily, he only took a little bit of me and not a lot.”

This isn’t the first shark bite reported in the area. In June, a shark attacked a 9-year-old girl snorkeling with her family in Boca Grande, McClatchy News reported.

Gasparilla Island is about a 55-mile drive northwest from Fort Myers.

This story was originally published August 19, 2025 at 6:44 PM with the headline "Shark bites fisherman as he poses for photo on Florida beach, rescuers say."