Don’t mess with an expectant mother!
According to reports, pregnant Atlanta resident Margot Dukes-Eddy was on a private boat with her family in the Florida Keys on Sunday when she noticed that her husband, Andrew Eddy, had been attacked by a shark — and proceeded to jump in the water to rescue him!
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office reported that Eddy had just slid into the water on the snorkeling trip at Sombrero Reef when, out of nowhere, a large shark latched onto his shoulder. Thankfully, his wife didn’t think twice and snapped into action.
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Deputy Christopher Aguanno wrote in his report:
“Dukes saw the shark’s dorsal fin and then blood filling the water. Dukes, without hesitation, dove into the water and pulled Eddy to the safety of the boat.”
Wow, talk about heroic!
The Miami Herald wrote that although Dukes managed to avoid injury during the rescue, her hubby’s shark bite wound was described as severe by deputies. Medics were ready for them when the group reached the beach in Marathon, and Eddy was flown to Ryder Trauma Center at Miami’s Jackson Memorial Hospital. His condition was not available as of Tuesday, and a Jackson spokeswoman said this week the family requests privacy.
The deputy explained that the couple were on a 20-foot open motorboat that day with Dukes-Eddy’s parents, her sister, and her sister’s boyfriend. The rest of her family had reportedly already gone into the water before Eddy jumped in. So everything seemed safe…
The report also noted that several other snorkelers from other boats were already in the water when the attack happened, adding that other boaters told deputies they had seen an “8 or 9 foot bull shark” in the area that morning.
Although bull sharks are common in the Florida Keys, shark bites are apparently rare, unlike other areas of the state. (Volusia County in northern Florida reportedly has had 312 unprovoked shark bites since 1882, earning the region the title of “the shark bite capital of the world.”)
George Burgess, now retired director of the International Shark Attack File, said Tuesday about shark attacks in the Keys:
“It’s relatively uncommon.”
But he agreed that it was likely a bull shark that bit Eddy, and not a tiger shark, as others have speculated. Both species are common in the Keys and are included in the top three, along with white sharks, for the most unprovoked bites on humans.
Burgess added:
“Bulls are regular inhabitants at that attack site, tigers less so, but still common.”
Good thing Eddy’s wife was there to show that bull shark who’s boss!
Would YOU jump in front of a shark to save your partner, Perezcious readers?
[Image via National Geographic/YouTube.]
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