Michigan Man Was Killed In Florida Shark Attack Attack Was 25th This Year In Florida Waters, But 1st Fatality

A Michigan diver missing since Sept. 13 was killed in the first fatal shark attack this year, officials confirmed Thursday.

Marine biologist William Covert, 25, was diving with friends off Alligator Reef near Islamorada in the Florida Keys when he failed to surface. The two friends were not injured and did not know what happened to Covert.

In the days after Covert disappeared, a search team discovered some of his equipment and clothing on the ocean floor.

After examining some of the items, a shark specialist confirmed the suburban Detroit man was killed by a bull shark 10 to 12 feet long, said Monroe County sheriff’s spokeswoman Becky Herrin.

The bite marks indicated Covert might have lost one arm then another fending off the shark. Then the shark tore at Covert’s abdomen, tearing a chunk from his thick nylon dive belt.

The shark attack was the 25th recorded in Florida this year, according to the International Shark Attack File at the University of Florida in Gainesville, which records attacks worldwide. None of the others was fatal.