Shark attack reported off Florida

CLEARWATER BEACH, Fla., May 26 (UPI) -- An Orlando, Fla., man was treated for an ankle injury after a rare attack by a shark off Clearwater Beach, family members said.

Dana Joseph said he was swimming about 100 yards offshore when a shark latched on to his ankle. Joseph said he managed to pull free of the shark, which he estimated to be five to eight feet in length, The St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times reported Tuesday.

Paramedics treated the injury on shore. Joseph's wife said she planned to take him to a hospital for a follow-up, the Times reported.

Since 1882, 11 unprovoked shark attacks have been reported in Pinellas County waters, which includes Clearwater Beach. Two were fatal, including an Aug. 30, 2000 attack against a 69-year-old man who was killed by a bull shark while swimming off his home dock in Boca Ciega Bay.