8-Year-Old Boy Hospitalized After Shark Attack While Snorkeling in Florida Keys

Emergency responders took the child via Trauma Star helicopter to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami for treatment.

Published: 9/2/2025, 10:16:32 PM EDT

8-Year-Old Boy Hospitalized After Shark Attack While Snorkeling in Florida Keys — A bull shark swims off the coast of Jupiter, Fla., on Feb. 12, 2022. (Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images)

An 8-year-old boy was hospitalized on Monday after he was attacked by a shark while snorkeling off Key Largo, Florida, marking the latest in a series of shark attacks reported across popular vacation destinations.

The Monroe County Sheriff's Office reported the attack occurred at approximately 3:24 p.m. on Sept. 1, in ocean waters off Key Largo.

Emergency responders took the child via Trauma Star helicopter to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami for treatment. The sheriff's office notified both the U.S. Coast Guard and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission of the incident.

Representatives from Memorial Hospital and Key Largo Fire Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment from NTD.

The Florida incident follows several other shark encounters reported in recent months across various vacation spots frequented by American tourists.

In July, Italian journalist Eleonora Boi, wife of former NBA player Danilo Gallinari, was injured during a shark attack while swimming at a Puerto Rico resort beach. The 39-year-old, who is expecting the couple's third child, was bitten on her thigh on July 31 while at Carolina Resort beach.

"It was the worst day of my life," Boi wrote on Instagram, according to the report. "I never thought I'd be attacked by a shark, especially near the shore on a crowded beach."

Puerto Rico experiences relatively few shark encounters, with fewer than 20 recorded incidents between 1900 and 2023. Only 10 cases were classified as unprovoked attacks, with four proving fatal.

Earlier this year, two American women vacationing in the Bahamas were airlifted after shark bites in February, the Royal Bahamas Police Force reported at the time. The encounter occurred Feb. 7 around 6:30 p.m. near the Bimini islands while both women were swimming at Bimini Bay.

International incidents have also made headlines. In January, Australian authorities concluded a 28-year-old surfer likely died in a shark attack at Granites Beach near Streaky Bay, South Australia. A witness had recovered the victim's surfboard but found no trace of the man himself.

"From witnesses' descriptions we're pretty confident that sadly he's been killed by this shark," Senior Constable Rebecca Stokes told Australian Broadcasting Corp.

According to the Florida Museum, shark attack numbers have increased over the past century, primarily due to growing human populations and an increasing number of people participating in water sports. The museum identifies "surface recreationists"—including surfers, water skiers, and swimmers—as facing the highest risk.

Safety experts recommend staying in groups, avoiding twilight swimming, and refraining from entering water while bleeding.