Florida Surfer Suffers Second Shark Attack At the Same Beach

Taschman was eventually able to escape the shark's jaws and catch a wave to shore, where friends and witnesses were able to use a surf leash to apply a tourniquet, presumably saving his life. A friend and girlfriend then drove him directly to a nearby hospital. They reportedly had to keep pouring water on Taschman to keep him coherent as he "blacked out" from the pain. At the hospital he received emergency medical treatment, including 93 stitches over the course of two surgeries.

Taschman was attacked by a smaller shark at Bathtub Beach back in 2013, but didn't suffer nearly the life-threatening wounds as he did this time.

"The first one was a tiny little reef pup. It's like comparing an Olympic athlete to a high school athlete like, you know, the amount of trauma," he described.

A GoFundMe campaign has been launched by his girlfriend, Ana Peci, to help offset Taschman's medical expenses.

"The shark bit down on both his feet at once and he suffered from tendon damage and sustained deep wounds almost losing both his feet," she writes. "He does not have health insurance and had to undergo two surgeries by Dr. Borrego at Saint Mary's Medical Center to repair 3 tendons, received 93 stitches and many staple stitches as well. He is a local captain loved in the community and won't be able to work for 3 months to recover from his attack. He is currently wheelchair bound and has a long road to recovery."

When he's not getting attacked by sharks, Taschman is the operator of a local fishing charter service. Bathtub Beach is about 40 miles south of Vero Beach and 150 miles north of New Smyrna Beach, which is widely considered the shark bite capital of the world.