A Florida resident is currently on the mend following a shark attack while snorkeling with friends last weekend. The encounter left him injured but grateful to be alive.

The shark attack took place near Boca Chita Key in Biscayne Bay, part of the picturesque Florida Keys, during the late morning hours of Saturday, October 25. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue officials confirmed the details to Fox News Digital.

Authorities received a call regarding an animal bite around 11:30 a.m., prompting an immediate response. Emergency teams swiftly airlifted the injured man to a nearby hospital for treatment.

The man, identified as 46-year-old Yosvany Echevarria, spoke to CBS News Miami about the harrowing experience. Echevarria, who relocated to the United States from Cuba three years ago, was enjoying a snorkeling outing with friends when the shark attacked, biting him multiple times.

Recalling the terrifying ordeal, Echevarria expressed his fear and the intense pain he endured. “He could have ripped my arm off,” he shared with 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.”

“He could have ripped my arm off,” Echevarria 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.”

Echevarria added that he received 27 stitches as a result of the attack, and suffered severe injuries to his arm, CBS News Miami reported.

Yosvany Echevarria told CBS News Miami he received 27 stitches after the shark attack at Biscayne Bay in the Florida Keys, while also suffering severe injuries to his arm. (iStock)

“We got out because we were close to the shore, and we called someone to pick us up,” Echevarria said.

As of this week, there have been 51 reported shark attacks throughout the country this year, according to trackingsharks.com. Of those incidents, 10 reported attacks have occurred in the Sunshine State – with some taking place in Hollywood Beach, located just 20 miles from Miami, and southwest Florida’s Boca Grande.

Last year, there were 71 reported bites – including 47 unprovoked attacks – worldwide, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File. Data indicates that 28 of the unprovoked attacks occurred in the United States, with Florida accounting for the country’s most unprovoked bites after 14 people reported incidents last year.

There have been 51 reported shark attacks throughout the United States in 2025, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File. (iStock)

“My advice to people is if they are going to get in the water, they need to be careful. It could have been much worse,” Echevarria reportedly said. “I was lucky it was just bites. He could have ripped my arm off.”