Dad of 3 Sustains ‘Major’ Injuries in Horrifying Shark Attack

A Florida fisherman and father of three is recovering after a terrifying shark attack in The Bahamas left him with severe injuries to his hand and forearm.

Eddie Jarmakowicz, 52, of Riviera Beach, was on a three-day spearfishing trip in Grand Cay on August 16 when the attack happened. He had just speared a mutton snapper and was swimming up to the surface with the fish when a shark struck.

“I believe my hand was all the way into the shark’s mouth by the lacerations that came up the forearm,” Jarmakowicz told CBS12. He said he never saw the shark, only felt the violent bite. “I lost the fish I had speared and never saw the shark that attacked me.”

Another diver with him later identified the predator as a six-foot reef shark. The animal reportedly went after the fish Jarmakowicz was carrying but clamped down on his left hand instead. “My wrist was hanging down, and I could see flesh,” Jarmakowicz recalled.

After a frantic swim back to the boat, it took the group 45 minutes to reach shore before a local pilot flew Jarmakowicz to HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital. Doctors said he had lost about a liter of blood, and his hand had been tied off with a tourniquet for more than four hours.

“He had a major injury where we consider it a mangled extremity,” trauma surgeon Dr. Aleta Paschal told WPBF. “Multiple muscles were exposed, tendons were involved, and I could see down to his bone.”

Emergency surgery took over four hours. Surgeons repaired at least eight tendons in his forearm, along with additional damage near his wrist. Remarkably, doctors say he is expected to regain function in his fingers, though recovery will take months of physical therapy.

Despite the near-fatal encounter, Jarmakowicz says he has no plans to give up the ocean. “To me this is being in touch with nature, God’s creation. I love being in the water. It’s absolutely beautiful. It’s very calming. It’s relaxing despite my most recent adventure,” he said.