Erik Norrie: Shark Attack, Lightning Strike, Snake Bite Survivor Stays Strong


In the run-up to Shark Week, spear-fisherman Erik Norrie got attacked by a shark offshore the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas on July 29. To some folks, he may be the unluckiest man alive.

A My Fox Tampa Bay indepth report on the recovering Norrie said that the shark attack victim has previously been hit by lightning and bitten by a rattlesnake.

In the latest stroke of bad luck, Erik Norrie said that he was spearfishing a grouper for a family vacation dinner. He told CBS Miami that he was swimming back to his boat when he felt a shark out of nowhere take a bite out of his leg.

The experienced outdoorsman made a tourniquet for his leg to stop the bleeding. He was flown first to Miami and ultimately to Tampa, Florida.

He is now recovering at Tampa General Hospital, where he will likely need to receive multiple skin grafts to repair his left leg.

Erik Norrie joked, “It’s called the shark bite diet. You…lose two pounds in three seconds.”

His wife and four daughters witnessed the bloody scene. One daughter got on the radio to make the call for help. His father-in-law actually jumped between Norrie and the shark to convince the attacking fish to change direction.

He indeed ran into some bad luck. But I don’t think I could call him the unluckiest man alive.

It’s evident from his YouTube and Facebook postings that Erik Norrie is physically and spiritually courageous. He has traveled the world, even as far as Papau New Guinea. There are risks that come with putting yourself out there, and he’s run into a bit of that. But he seems to be handling it well.

Norrie confessed that at one point he did think he would die from the shark bite. But he now believes that the shark attack is part of his journey with God. “I know something great will come of it,” he told Fox.

It does seem as if there’s a higher purpose for Erik Norrie than just providing another shark attack data point for Shark Week.

[shark attack photo credit: cdelacy via Shutterstock]

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