Child Survives Shark Bite During Florida Snorkeling Trip

A 9-year-old girl who was recently attacked by a shark shared her experience, describing how quickly the incident happened. She explained that she didn’t realize she had been injured until she saw her hand covered in blood after surfacing from the water.

Leah Lendel, still receiving medical care, spoke publicly for the first time more than a week after the terrifying attack while snorkeling off the coast of Boca Grande, Florida, with her family. She recounted that she was simply swimming and took a breath when suddenly something hard bit her and tried to drag her underwater.

“I looked at my hand and saw all the blood,” she said. Her immediate reaction was to scream for help, prompting her father to come to her aid and carry her out of the water.

Her mother, Nadia Lendel, described the scene, noting that she saw a significant amount of blood in the water near Leah, which made her realize it was a shark attack. Leah was quickly airlifted to Tampa General Hospital, where she underwent a six-hour surgery. Thanks to medical intervention, her hand was saved, and surgeons repaired broken bones in her wrist, using blood vessels grafted from her leg to restore circulation.

This alarming incident was captured on body camera footage, showing paramedics comforting Leah and praising her bravery. Her father expressed profound gratitude, emphasizing how fortunate his daughter is to be alive after the attack.