An 8-year-old boy is recovering in the hospital after being attacked by a shark in Florida.

On Monday, Sept. 1, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office confirmed in a post on Facebook that the boy had been bitten off the coast of Key Largo, Florida, and had subsequently been airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami.

“An 8-year-old male was reportedly snorkeling when he was bitten by shark at approximately 3:24 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 1, 2025, off Key Largo, Florida on the oceanside,” the post read in part. “The U.S. Coast Guard and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission were notified of the incident.”

Monroe Sheriff Rick Ramsay said the child was snorkeling on Horseshoe Reef when the incident occurred, according to the Miami Herald. He was in surgery Monday evening, Ramsay added.

According to emergency dispatch audio obtained by 7 News Miami, authorities said the 8-year-old patient was “pale” and had suffered a” significant amount of blood loss.”

Authorities told the outlet and the Miami Herald that the child was bitten above the knee before a dive vessel nearby stopped to help him.

“He’s been applied two tourniquets, we also put [inaudible] bandage to control the bleeding,” the emergency dispatch said, per 7 News Miami. “We’re on the process of getting some vital signs.”

The emergency scanner traffic recorded first responders saying the boy’s “injury is significant,” per the Miami Herald.

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The boy’s condition is described as severe, according to 7 News Miami.