Exclusive: Man Says He Was 'Reborn' After Possible Shark Attack Off Of Bill Baggs State Park
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - A man who was injured after a possible shark attack off of Bill Baggs State Park, was released from the hospital on Tuesday.
Mario Avila, 37, said he was attacked by a shark on Saturday morning, while scuba diving.
According to Avila, it was a bull shark that grabbed a hold of his left arm and almost killed him.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue also called it a possible shark attack.
In an exclusive interview with CBS4's Peter D'Oench, Avila spoke about the close-call in Spanish.
"I was diving and immediately, the shark came and attacked me. I never saw it, it came by surprise and attacked me," said Avila.
He was saved by fishermen from Hot Shot Charters, who were on a nearby boat during the incident.
Those diving with Avila began waving for help and that's when Kyle Evans and others on the charter boat, jumped into action and pulled Avila on board.
While leaving Ryder Trauma Center on Tuesday, Avila was wearing a cast on his injured arm and showed D'Oench the bite marks on his chest as well.
"It came to try and figure out what I was," Avila said. "It came directly and attacked my arm. I automatically pushed it away with my other arm and that's when he tore up all my fingers and my chest."
He said the shark was about 20-feet long.
"I've been fishing underwater for 20 years, and all my life, I've never seen one that big," Avila said.
Avila believes he is lucky to be alive and isn't too sure if he'll be back in the water scuba diving.
"I was reborn on August 3rd," said Avila jokingly. "Scuba diving, I don't think I'll ever do again, but I'll keep fishing with a rod."
