Tourist bitten by a large shark while swimming at Key West beach, police say

A man was bitten by what Key West police said “appeared to be a large shark” while swimming off a beach on the Southernmost island last weekend.

According to the incident report, the man, 34-year-old Nicolae Cioban, was swimming near the Outer Mole of Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park last Sunday around 2 p.m. when he was bitten. The report says he had lacerations to his thigh, knee and calf area.

Cioban, who the report says lives in Romania, could not be reached for comment. He was able to walk to an ambulance, and medics took him to the hospital. His wounds were not life-threatening.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection, which oversees state parks, said in a statement that it could only “confirm there was an unknown marine life encounter” that day at Fort Zachary Taylor.

Alexandra Kuchta, DEP spokeswoman, said park rangers “closely monitored the water, but did not observe any sharks.”

Rangers nevertheless flew purple flags that day “letting visitors know to exercise caution in and around the water.” As of Friday, Kuchta said the flags are still being flown.

“Visitors to coastal parks are reminded to pay close attention to the colored flags posted at welcome stations and on the beaches,” she said. “Colored flags indicate swimming conditions at the beach.”