MARTIN COUNTY, FL-- A man encircled by several sharks was pulled from the water Wednesday afternoon off Stuart Beach.
Lifeguard Daniel Lund noticed 38-year old Stephen Schafer, who was apparently kite boarding, in trouble about a quarter-mile offshore.
When the lifeguard paddled out to him on his rescue board, there was blood in the water and Schafer was screaming that he'd been bitten by a shark.
Lund put Schafer on his rescue board and returned to shore.
He had what appeared to be an 8 inch to 10 inch shark bite on his right thigh, and investigators saw "numerous teeth marks" on his backside.
During the trip back to shore, Schafer was talking to Lund though "eventually stopped," according to a report from the Martin County Sheriff's Office.
Schafer later died at Martin Memorial Medical Center.
Several thousands of sharks have been spotted just off shore because of migration.
Several Palm Beach County beaches were closed due to shark sightings last week.
Including Wednesday’s fatal attack, there have been about 14 deaths in Florida attributed to sharks, according to records provided by University of Florida Museum of Natural History.
Information from Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers contributed to this report.
