Sharks do love them some Florida. Whether it's a great white chilling off the coast of Fort Lauderdale Beach or a hammer head giving a guy a ride down the ocean or sharks surfing the waves of Palm Beach County or a bull shark swimming through the Intracoastal Waterway, sharks have made it clear time and again that South Florida is a cool place for them to chill.
And on Sunday, one of them apparently bit into a person.
The victim, 22-year-old Jessica Vaughn from Coral Springs, was bitten moments after she dove into the Intracoastal Waterway with some friends.
Vaughn survived the bite but had to be rushed to Broward Health Medical Center to have surgery on the gash left by what officials say was, in all likelihood, a bull shark.
And we have the very NSFW photos of her injury in case you want to be thoroughly grossed out/terrified.
See also: Great White Shark Named Katharine Stops by Fort Lauderdale Beach on Her Florida Tour
Vaughn was apparently innertubing with her friends in the Intracoastal in Fort Lauderdale on Sunday near Bayshore Towers condominiums, which is just south of Sunrise Boulevard.
Almost immediately after getting into the water, Vaughn suddenly felt a sharp pain and the sensation of something grabbing her leg.
According to Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue, Vaughn said she then felt a large fin hit her in the head shortly after being bitten.
Her friends saw a splash and heard Vaughn scream. One of the friends told authorities he saw a bull shark. The witness said the shark appeared to be a four-footer.
The bite happened just as Vaughn put on a life vest and jumped into the water to join her friends, who had been in the water for more than 20 minutes.
Fort Lauderdale shark attack victim undergoes surgery to repair shredded muscles. Details at 11 p.m. on @CBSMiami pic.twitter.com/nbEXIeAWY7
— MaryAnn Martinez (@maryannreports) June 2, 2014Vaughn is expected to make a full recovery.
Firefighter/paramedics responded to suspected shark attack on intercoastal. no further info till tomorrow #shark pic.twitter.com/03U7yMxBqJ
— FLFR PIO (@FtLaudFire) June 1, 2014Second picture of suspected shark attack in intercoastal waterway. Victim is at the hospital. pic.twitter.com/yU7uo59C56
— FLFR PIO (@FtLaudFire) June 1, 2014Shark bites happen, but they are rare, considering how many people actually go into South Florida waters every day and how many sharks are actually out there.
And the fact that the shark that bit Vaughn let go almost immediately is another sign that sharks just don't dig humans.
Of course, we all say that until a shark comes up to us in the water and thinks we're part of the buffet.
Still, it's something people consider down here before jumping into the water.
The fascinating thing about Sunday's incident is that it happened in the Intracoastal, where one wouldn't necessarily expect a shark to be swimming.
One longtime Fort Lauderdale resident New Times spoke to says that for many years, the Intracoastal would be the last place most people would expect to see a shark.
But, he says, nothing should ever be ruled out.
"I've seen everything in the Intracoastal -- from piles of trash to manatees to dolphins," a Fort Lauderdale resident named Ryan tells us. "I even saw a sea turtle one time. There's nothing that will surprise me anymore. If a mermaid rose up next to my kayak and she was riding the Loch Ness Monster, I'd just shrug and keep paddling."
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