Dramatic video shows U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crew rescuing shark bite victim near Bahamas: "Truly terrifying situation"

A fisherman who was bitten by a shark near the Bahamas was pulled to safety by a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crew after his mates tightened a tourniquet around his arm. The crew from Air Station Miami lifted the man from a fishing boat near Bimini on Monday afternoon and took him to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, where he was in stable condition, an agency news release said. 

The Coast Guard posted dramatic video of the rescue on Twitter:

The 51-year-old man's mates on the Shear Water fishing boat called the Coast Guard around 12:50 p.m. Monday. They reported that he had been bitten by a shark while fishing and that "a tourniquet had been placed on the man's arm to prevent further blood loss."

After receiving the call, the Coast Guard dispatched an Air Station Miami MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew and an Air Station Miami HC-144 airplane crew to the scene. 

"This was the best possible outcome to a truly terrifying situation," said Sean Connett, command duty officer at Coast Guard District Seven. "This individual was fortunate a fellow crew member was able to render aid prior to the Coast Guard's arrival which, allowed for a quick extraction from the vessel."

Shark bites increased around the world in 2021 following three consecutive years of decline, according to a report released last month.

In:
• Bahamas
• Shark Attack
• United States Coast Guard