Shark Attacks Man For Spearing Fish

A South Florida man had to learn the hard way: never bring a spear to a shark attack

It's an age old adage that the waters belong to the sharks, even if the waters are as beautiful as the ones in the Bahamas.

Unfortunately for Luis Fernandez, he had to learn the hard way after he nearly lost his arm after being attacked by a bull shark during a spear fishing expedition in Exuma Island. Fernandez, 48, almost didn't make it back to shore, but for the heroic efforts of his wife, who pulled him back onto their dingy before the shark could strike again.

"It felt like I was hit by a torpedo," said, Fernandez who is now at Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he has undergone several surgeries to save his right arm.

The bull shark was estimated to be around seven feet long and was known by locals to own the real-estate near the reef Fernandez was fishing. When Fernandez speared a grouper, the shark had decided enough was enough and rushed Fernandez as he tried to swim back to his boat.

The shark clamped down on Fernandez's forearm and took a huge chunk out of his arm before letting go. The shark took a second shot at his bleeding and now weakened target, but Fernandez's wife pulled him to safety.

"I am lucky to be alive because of this brave woman," Fernandez said of his wife, Marlene.

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