Florida woman survives shark attack while swimming in murky waters at friend’s birthday party as she describes horror attack
A Florida woman who is “extremely lucky” to be alive after surviving a shark attack at a boat party has revealed photos of a horrific wound that runs from her buttocks to her navel.
Natalie Branda, 26, said she was swimming in “murky waters” near the St Petersburg pier when she was bitten by, according to doctors, an adult bull shark – one of the most aggressive species.
The attack, in which Branda required 14 stitches, came as the Gulf Coast city resident sailed with friends to Tampa Bay for a birthday party on July 29.
“We jumped off the boat, swam around, floated for a few hours — we just had a fun day,” she shared Fox 13 Tampa Bay.
But their idyllic celebration turned to chaos when the group finished swimming around dusk — the time when sharks, usually nocturnal, are most active.
Natalie Branda (pictured), 26, was swimming July 29 in Tampa Bay, close to her hometown of St. Petersburg, when she was bitten by what doctors say was an adult bull shark
The Gulf Coast local said she feels “extremely lucky” to be alive after suffering a massive bite on her body – which stretched from her abdomen to her navel and required 14 stitches
The attack came after Branda sailed to Tampa Bay with friends for a birthday party and took a dip in the water at dusk — the time when sharks are most active
“The water was kind of murky,” Branda said. “It was the perfect cocktail for the perfect storm.”
The attack came around 8 p.m. when she accidentally dropped two floats she was trying to attach together into the water, causing a splash.
She was unaware of the presence of a predator in the water below her – until its jaws suddenly closed on her stomach and leg.
“I just felt pressure, and it let go, and I was like, ‘I’ve been bitten!'” she said.
“I swam the fastest I ever swam to the boat.”
Branda managed to climb back onto the boat and her friends put pressure on her wounds before running back to the dock and calling 911.
She said she could only see her belly at the time and friends comforted her by saying ‘it’s not that bad’.
“But then I turned around and everyone was like, ‘Oh, my God,'” Branda said.
She was rushed to hospital, where medics bandaged several deep cuts on her body with 14 stitches before confirming she had been bitten by a shark.
A friend who had been aboard the party boat, Allie Mucks, said Branda was lucky to be alive.
“It’s not often people experience that and walk away with just a few stitches,” Mucks, who emerged from the water five minutes before Branda was bitten, told Fox 13.
“I just felt pressure, and it let go, and I was like, ‘I’ve been bitten!'” Branda told Fox News 13
Bull sharks are one of three shark breeds that regularly attack humans — along with tiger sharks and great white sharks, according to National Geographic
This week, Branda revealed that she sent photos of her wound to an expert who said she was likely bitten by a bull shark, which typically measures 2 to 3 feet in length and can weigh up to 500 pounds.
“Eventually I approached a professional and sent pictures of the bite,” Branda said in a Facebook post.
“They deduced it to probably be an adult bull shark just trying to probe what I was in the water.
“I’m extremely lucky because bull sharks are generally more aggressive. I somehow met the calmest bull shark ever!”
Branda said she’s “laying low and recovering at home” for the next few weeks.
The experience hasn’t stopped her from swimming in the sea – although she’ll opt for clearer waters next time.
“We’re invading their house,” she previously told Fox 13. “It sucks that this happened, but when you come in and you’re with big creatures in their house, you have to respect them.
“I’ll probably go back in the water, but I need to recover first.”
Bull sharks are one of three shark species that regularly attack humans — along with tiger sharks and great white sharks, according to National Geographic.
Branda and her boyfriend talked about the terrifying encounter with her boyfriend on Fox 13, later giving more details about the attack and her recovery in a Facebook post this week
Around the same time Branda was bitten, a drone camera captured the moment another bull shark launched a savage attack on a fishing boat close to the Florida coast.
In dramatic footage, the shark suddenly fell to the back of the boat and got caught between two of the boat’s huge engines in an attempt to defend its territory.
a shark caused havoc on another Florida beach after it swam among beachgoers in shin-deep water just inches from shore — though it didn’t attack.
Parents rushed to grab their kids at Navarre Beach on the west coast after a dark fin sliced through the blue water at dusk in a dramatic 37-second video posted to social media.
Most shark species are nocturnal and the Florida Museum urges swimmers to “not be in the water during low-light hours (sunrise or sunset) and at night when many sharks are most active and feeding.”
Dramatic footage shows the shocking moment swimmers rushed in panic from the Florida sea as a shark swam between them just inches from shore
Globally, an average of five people worldwide die as a result of unprovoked shark bites, say experts at the museum.
“The annual average of unprovoked shark bites on humans worldwide is 70, resulting in about five deaths,” they said.
“These global numbers are small considering the millions of people entering the water.
“You’re more likely to die from a bee sting, dog or snake bite, or lightning than from a shark bite.”