While it is a common misconception that lightning never strikes the same place twice, it appears that the same myth can be ignored when it comes to shark attacks. As an example, a Florida surfer was recently bitten by a shark at the same beach where he was bitten more than a decade ago.
Cole Taschman, who runs the fishing company Cole Tashy Charters, was surfing at Bathtub Beach in Martin County, FL, when he suddenly noticed a shark “monster” behind him. He was later recalled to the local NBC affiliate WPTV 5 News He said he believed it was a tiger or bull shark. And then the shark landed on his feet.
“I looked back and it was like it was behind me,” Taschman said of the shark, which he estimated was 12 to 8 meters long. “I just looked and at the last moment I saw it sink and then move sideways. I could kind of see its silhouette.”
Luckily, Taschman was able to catch a wave and swim to shore, where his friends and girlfriend were waiting. With the help of a local food truck operator, they used the straps of his surfboard to apply tourniquets to his legs and were able to rush him to the hospital. They thought driving to get help was faster than calling 911 and waiting for an ambulance.
“I actually fainted. I almost fainted from shock or losing enough blood,” he continued. “For this reason [my girlfriend] slaps me on the back and [my friend] He's driving like crazy trying to take me to the hospital. He pours water on my head. They kept me awake, so thank God.” In total, he needed two surgeries to repair three ruptured tendons, as well as 93 stitches.
However, the strangest detail of the story is that Taschman was bitten by a shark on the same beach in 2013. However, this time his injuries were much more serious.
“There is no comparison,” he added. “It's like comparing an Olympic athlete to a high school athlete, you know, like the amount of trauma. It's very exciting how bad it is.”