A Florida man is on the mend after a shark attack while snorkeling with friends over the weekend.

The incident took place near Boca Chita Key in the Florida Keys’ Biscayne Bay late Saturday morning, October 25, as confirmed by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue to Fox News Digital.

Emergency services were dispatched following a report of an animal bite around 11:30 a.m. The victim was subsequently airlifted to a nearby hospital for treatment.

The snorkeler, identified as 46-year-old Yosvany Echevarria, was reportedly bitten multiple times by a shark during the outing. Originally from Cuba, Echevarria moved to the United States three years ago, CBS News Miami reports.

The victim has been identified as Yosvany Echevarria, 46, according to CBS News Miami. He told the outlet he moved to the United States from Cuba three years ago, and was snorkeling with friends in the water when the shark bit him more than a half-dozen times.

“He could have ripped my arm off,” Echevarria told the outlet in Spanish. “I was scared. I was in a lot of pain. We were swimming there by the beach. I was diving in the water and snorkeling, and a shark lunged at me, at my hands.”

Echevarria added that he had received 27 stitches as a result of the attack, and suffered severe injuries to his arm, CBS News Miami reported.

Yosvany Echevarria told CBS News Miami he received 27 stitches after the shark attack at Biscayne Bay in the Florida Keys, while also suffering severe injuries to his arm. (iStock)

“We got out because we were close to the shore, and we called someone to pick us up,” Echevarria said.

As of this week, there have been 51 reported shark attacks throughout the country this year, according to trackingsharks.com. Of those incidents, 10 reported attacks have occurred in the Sunshine State – with some taking place in Hollywood Beach, located just 20 miles from Miami, and southwest Florida’s Boca Grande.

Last year, there were 71 reported bites — including 47 unprovoked attacks — worldwide, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File. Data indicates that 28 of the unprovoked attacks occurred in the United States, with Florida accounting for the country’s most unprovoked bites after 14 people reported incidents last year.

There have been 51 reported shark attacks throughout the United States in 2025, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File. (iStock)

“My advice to people is if they are going to get in the water, they need to be careful. It could have been much worse,” Echevarria reportedly said. “I was lucky it was just bites. He could have ripped my arm off.”