Florida surfer bit by shark in same spot he was bit 11 years ago: 'Same everything'

Show Caption

A decade after his first shark bite, a Florida man is recovering from another bite he suffered at the exact same beach.

Cole Taschman, 28, was surfing with two friends at Bathtub Beach in Stuart, Florida last week when he encountered a situation that was all too familiar.

"As I was paddling against the current, my feet are behind me, they were laying flat on the board, and an about eight- or nine-foot either bull shark or tiger shark came up behind me and snatched my feet," Taschman, a fishing charter captain, said.

At around 2 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 25, a bull or tiger shark bit Taschman in the waters in front of his parent's house. Three tendons were completely torn and one was partially torn in the accident. Following two surgeries, with a potential third on the horizon; 93 stitches and 10-15 staples, Taschman is back at home recovering. He was in the hospital for four days.

He was bit previously at age 16

But this wasn't Taschman's first shark bite.

In 2013, a blacktip reef shark bit Taschman's right hand. Fortunately, he didn't lose any fingers. Taschman was 16 years old at the time and was surfing at the "Stuart Rocks" break at Bathtub Beach when he encountered the shark — the same beach and break he surfed at last week.

"Same beach, same exact rock, same place, same reef, same everything," Taschman said.

Community rallies support

Following the accident, Taschman's girlfriend, Ana Peci, launched a GoFundMe fundraiser. As of Thursday morning, 19% of the $30,000 goal had been reached.

Additionally, Ohana Surf Shop in Stuart launched a raffle fundraiser for Taschman. Folks can enter to win a surfboard from Thrash Craft or a fishing charter trip with Ohboy! Fishing Charters with 100% of the proceeds will benefit Taschman.

"Love your community because there's so much support I'm getting and it's a beautiful thing," Taschman told Paste BN.

Beach day with friends takes scary turn

Throughout his recovery, Taschman has had time to reflect on the importance of those who were with him at the beach that day: Peci and his two friends Hunter Roland and Zach Bucolo.

"Without them, things could have been a lot different. If there was no one on the beach and I couldn't get help, I might not be talking to you right now," Taschman told Paste BN on Wednesday.

Roland and Bucolo were out surfing with Taschman when he got bitten. The three all caught waves back to the shore and got to work.

Taschman said Roland used the leash from his surfboard to create a tourniquet around his legs to slow the blood flow.

"When I got up to him by the beach, he really just seemed in shock," Bucolo told Treasure Coast Newspapers, part of the Paste BN Network. "Obviously, we knew that he had got bit. We didn't know how bad it was and he said that he was fine but needed to go to the hospital."

Bucolo told the outlet that they did not call 911 because the friends has grown up surfing at Bathtub Beach and he responded to the situation based on his understanding of the area.

"If it was further away or the situation was different, obviously, call 911, but it was just borderline to the point where I was like, 'No, we can just get him there and he's going to be fine,'" Bucolo said.

Bucolo was the one who drove them to the nearby Cleveland Clinic Martin North Hospital — about a 15-minute drive from the beach.

"We're on the way to the hospital, driving like a madman, flashers on, peddle to the metal, and I start passing out in the front seat. My girlfriend is behind me smacking me and Zach's dumping water on my head," Taschman said with a chuckle. "They got me to come back to, thank god."

Eventually, Taschman was transferred to St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach where he had his surgeries under the care of surgeon Dr. Robert Borrego.

Surgeon: Shark bites are rare, especially it happening twice

Borrego has specialized in trauma and critical care at St. Mary's Medical Center for 34 years. Based in West Palm Beach, Florida, he has a lot of experience working with shark bite victims. Borrego told Paste BN that on average, St. Mary's Trauma Center works with about six shark bite patients each year.

For reference, Florida reported 16 unprovoked shark attacks in 2023, according to the Florida Museum. This was out of 69 reported globally.

Throughout his career, Borrego said he's only worked with two patients who have been bitten by a shark twice — Taschman being the second.

'Very, very lucky'

According to the Florida Museum, surfers experience 42% of shark bites worldwide.

When it comes to Taschman's bite, Borrego said it is typical of one he'd see on a surfer.

"Bites are usually to the hands or the feet or the ankle," Borrego said of surfers and tourists. However, he has encountered a few more severe bites to the torso, upper legs, head and neck, mostly on spearfishers navigating through deeper water.

Borrego said Taschman was "very, very lucky" to swim away with the injuries he did because tiger and bull sharks are capable of doing more damage.

Florida ranks as the No. 1 place in the world for the most nonlethal shark bites each year. Palm Beach County is ranked as the top third in the state of Florida, Borrego said.

Olivia Franklin contributed to this reporting. Olivia is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Olivia on X @Livvvvv_5 or reach her by phone at 317-627-8048. E-mail her at olivia.franklin@tcpalm.com.

Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at Paste BN. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretalcross. Story idea? Email her at gcross@gannett.com.