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Boy, 8, Has Leg Saved After Shark Bite While Snorkeling Off Key Largo

Authorities are investigating the incident after the boy was airlifted from Horseshoe Reef to a Miami trauma center.

Overview

  • The bite occurred shortly before 3:30 p.m. Monday near Horseshoe Reef off Key Largo while the child was snorkeling with family.
  • A nearby charter crew, reported as Horizon Divers, applied tourniquets and rushed the family to Garden Cove Marina for emergency care.
  • Trauma Star airlifted the boy to Jackson Memorial’s Ryder Trauma Center in Miami, where he underwent emergency surgery Monday night.
  • 911 and dispatch audio described a pale patient with a “significant amount of blood loss,” and CBS Miami reported doctors were able to save his leg.
  • The U.S. Coast Guard and Florida Fish and Wildlife were notified, and officials have not confirmed the shark species, though local responders suggested a reef shark.