A 63-year-old man suffered multiple shark bites to his leg while standing in shallow water on a private beach in Marco Island, Florida, not far from popular tourist spot, Tigertail Beach.

According to local news outlet NBC 2, the man, identified as Jessen Carsten, was watching dolphins swim around him when he felt the bites and had to be helped back to shore. 

"It happened so quick he didn't even know what hit him and he just saw blood start pouring out, and that's when his family helped him back onto shore," first responder Sergio DeLeon told NBC 2. "It looked like multiple bites actually at least two or three bites," he added.

The shark was believed to have measured three to four feet in length. 

Carsten was discharged from Physicians Regional in nearby Naples just hours after the attack.

According to Kristine Gill of the Naples Daily News, Marco Island Rescue Department division chief David Batiato said the incident marked the first shark bite on the island in as long as a decade.

There were 52 reported shark attacks nationwide in 2014. Although Florida topped the list with 28, University of Florida biologist and shark attack expert George Burgess was quick to point out that severe shark attacks are extremely rare. 

"Most of them are better called bites than attacks," said Burgess via Gill. "They’re the equivalent of dog bites."

Sunday's attack occurred at Residents' Beach, which is situated just south of Tigertail Beach, a popular beach along Florida's Gulf Coast known for its lagoons and white sand. 

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