Fisherman survives shark attack in Trinidad near Blanchisseuse Beach

Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago: The fisherman was attacked by a shark in the waters of the North Coast of Trinidad over the weekend. He managed to survive the attack by medical treatment and is recovering for the time being. 

The fisherman, who asked to remain anonymous, was approximately one-quarter to one-half of a mile away from the shore at Surfers Delight near Blanchisseuse Beach when the shark attacked him. 

“You does normally get a lil redfish, a lil lobster….I swam out to the reef and about 6:30 I was just milling about waiting for the sun to come up, the water was a lil murky, I saw a lil redfish and I end up shooting that”, he added. 

Further, he explained that he saw another redfish and went to catch the fish. While doing so, he felt a swam over his shoulder. This made him doubt that something was wrong there. He had no idea that a Blacktip Reef Shark was nearby. 

The shark attacked the fisherman in no time and grabbed him violently until his body swam up in the water. 

“The shark just speeding coming in to get the fish end up latching on to my shoulder, violently grabbing on and shaking, that point of time I started to swim up and shake it off”, the fisherman said while stating the incident. 

He was taken to the hospital, and they put about 35 to 40 stitches in the wound. However, medical practitioners could not close the wound because patients received the bacteria from the shark’s mouth as well as the ocean. 

As per sources, the shark attack has not left the fisherman scared. He said that he would return to the water when he recovered from the injuries. 

The incident has sparked fear among some beachgoers and left others worried. The nationals expressed their concern for the fisherman through their comments on Facebook. 

One such comment by Cherry-Ann Craigwell read, “Noting he bled out his first fish catch in the water. The shark smelt the blood and attacked. Caution should still be exercised.