A shark attack off Florida's east coast left a man with a "severe bite to his right arm" on Friday, authorities said.

The Nassau County Sheriff's Office Marine Unit was out patrolling when it received a distress call from a boat around 11:15 a.m. local time. When they arrived, they found the victim with a "severe bite to his right arm" and quickly applied a tourniquet to stop the bleeding.

"The deputy then piloted the boat to the Dee Dee Bartels boat ramp, where Fernandina Beach Fire Rescue was waiting," the sheriff's office said in a social media post.

The victim was immediately airlifted to a nearby hospital. He is currently listed in critical condition but is expected to recover, authorities said.

Officials did not provide any additional information.

The incident happened after three people – a woman and two teenage girls – were hurt in two separate shark attacks in Florida's Gulf Coast earlier this month.

Local authorities have warned swimmers of the dangers in Florida's waters.

"Purple Flags indicate the presence of dangerous marine life and single red flags indicate high hazard conditions," the Bay County Sheriff's Office said in a social media post earlier this month.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says that shark activity in Florida waters is typically at its peak between April and October.

"Yet shark bites still remain very rare. Humans are 30 times more likely to be struck by lightning in Florida than to be bitten by a shark," it said. "Experts agree that the increase in the number of shark bites in recent years is more related to an increase in human visitors than to an increase in shark populations or activity."

In:
• Shark
• Sharks
• Shark Attack
• Florida

Lucia Suarez Sang

Lucia Suarez Sang is an associate managing editor at CBSNews.com. Previously, Lucia was the director of digital content at FOX61 News in Connecticut and has previously written for outlets including FoxNews.com, Fox News Latino and the Rutland Herald.

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