A former lifeguard has been left with a "spaghetti wrist" after being attacked by a shark while snorkelling in waist-deep water close to the shore.
Emily Ross, 32, from Las Vegas, was swimming in shallow water near Lauderdale-By-The-Sea pier when a black tip reef shark bit her left arm.
The attack occurred south of Pompano Beach as Ross kept close to the shore.
A fellow swimmer helped her escape the water whilst a former nurse fashioned an emergency tourniquet from a beach towel.
Ross explained how she has been left with a 'spaghetti wrist'
TikTok/emyydayy
Ross underwent an eight-hour emergency operation immediately after the incident.
She described how she noticed the predator's tail fin moments before the attack.
Ross said: "From the time I saw the shark to the time I was bitten to the time I was kicking was all so quick. [It was] probably less than four or five seconds.
"It was a normal day. There didn't feel like there was anything ominous happening. Everyone always says they had a bad feeling about it, but I just didn't feel that."
The computer programmer's injuries have been described as catastrophic.
She said: "My physical therapist describes my injury as a 'spaghetti wrist,' meaning every tendon, ligament - everything - was torn."
After six weeks of physiotherapy, Ross said she struggles with basic tasks.
Ross explained: "I can barely pick up a piece of a sponge with all of my fingers."
The former lifeguard insists the sea is still a fantastic place
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The shark attack survivor added: "The most disappointing thing about the whole situation is that there were no lifeguards on duty at this beach. If someone is looking out into the water, you can see sharks coming."
Despite the attack, Ross insists the sea is still a magical place.
She said: "I truly believe the water is a magical place and I'm terrified of it at this moment. I was a lifeguard before, and just an excellent, strong swimmer, growing up in the water."
Ross issued a warning to anybody planning on going in the sea, to "always swim near lifeguards because something horrible can happen to you at any moment".