A sign warning of great white sharks is posted at a path to an Atlantic Coast beach. Officials reported a man was attacked by a shark in The Florida Keys on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. The type of shark involved was not immediately known.
Debi Ingaro, a senior biologist at Mote Marine Laboratory, examines the skin of a preserved great white shark. The nine foot-long, female shark was caught by fishermen off California and donated to Mote for public education.

Officials in South Florida are investigating after a shark attacked a man while he said he snorkeled with friends over the weekend.

According to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, the late morning attack took place on Saturday, Oct. 25, in the northern Florida Keys.

Department officials reported the incident occurred off Boca Chita Key in Biscayne Bay, about a 40-mile drive south from Miami.

Here's what we know so far about the attack.

Shark attacks leaves man with 27 stitches

The agency reported crews responded just after 11:30 a.m. ET to a medical call involving an animal bite in the ocean.

At the scene, first responders transported an adult patient by medical helicopter to a local hospital.

The man, who told CBS News Miami he is 46 and moved to the U.S. from Cuba three years ago, said he was in the ocean when the shark bit him more than a half-dozen times.

"He could have ripped my arm off," the man, interviewed on camera, told the outlet in Spanish. "I was scared. I was in a lot of pain. We were swimming there by the beach. I was diving in the water and snorkeling, and a shark lunged at me, at my hands."

The victim, who said the fish was a (great) white shark, suffered severe injuries to his arm and hand and said he received 27 stiches in connection to the attack.

"If you're going to get in [the water], be careful," the victim said.

How many shark attacks have been reported in Florida this year?

In addition to the Boca Chita Key incident, as of Wednesday, Oct. 29, there had been 10 other reported shark attacks in The Sunshine State so far this year.

According to trackingsharks.com, some of the other Florida attacks took place in Hollywood Beach, just north of Miami, and in Boca Grande in southwest Florida, about 80 miles from Tampa Bay.

How many people die from shark attacks every year?

According to data from the International Shark Attack File, run by the Florida Museum of Natural History, the world averages 65 documented shark attacks each year.

On average, six fatal attacks are reported annually, the data shows.

Last year, 47 people were bitten in unprovoked attacks.

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Man attacked by shark while snorkeling in Florida. What we know.

Reporting by Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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