Pacemaker Fishing Forum

MARATHON, Fla. — A woman was bitten by a barracuda that jumped into her kayak in the Florida Keys, the U.S. Coast Guard said Monday (10/18).

According to the Coast Guard, the 45-year-old woman and her male companion reported they were in a two-person kayak near Big Pine Key about 5:15 p.m. Sunday when a barracuda jumped into the vessel, bit her in the chest and then jumped back in the water.

The woman appeared to be suffering a possible punctured lung and broken ribs, the Coast Guard said.

A rescue vessel from the Coast Guard station in Marathon worked with the private company TowBoatU.S. that launched a small boat carrying a paramedic that was able to maneuver into the kayak's shallow water.

According to the Coast Guard, the man on the kayak was unable to row to shore without causing further harm to the woman.

Once aboard the TowBoatU.S. vessel, the woman was taken to Dolphin Marina and then airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami where she is listed in stable condition, according to the Coast Guard.