The available information does not establish whether the animal was attracted by the captured fish, the diver's movements, or another factor.
The distinction is important because dramatic incidents can easily be surrounded by speculation.
The confirmed facts are already extraordinary.
A large bull shark attacked a diver near Key West.
The encounter lasted approximately 13 seconds.
The animal bit his leg and repeatedly lunged toward his body.
Jose fought to keep its jaws away.
His friend entered the water with a speargun and drove the shark off.
The injured diver was rescued and transported by helicopter to Miami.
He survived.
That outcome is the central fact.
Jose was alive after an encounter that could have ended very differently.
The medical prognosis was encouraging.
And he had the opportunity to acknowledge the person who helped save him.
For the friend who intervened, the situation demanded an immediate decision.
He could see that Jose was being attacked.
He had a speargun available.
And he acted before the shark could continue inflicting injuries.
The intervention was dangerous and should not be romanticized as a routine or safe response to shark encounters.
But in this particular incident, it helped bring the attack to an end.
For Jose, the event demonstrated how quickly a familiar recreational activity can become a survival emergency.
He had gone into the ocean to catch fish.
He had successfully completed that part of the outing.
The danger began while he was returning to the boat.
That detail makes the story especially striking.
The attack did not happen during an attempt to approach the shark.
It happened during the ordinary movement back toward safety.
The boat was nearby.
But Jose had not yet reached it.
And those remaining moments in the water became the most dangerous part of the trip.
The attack also shows how quickly a rescue can depend on cooperation.
Jose could not fully stop the shark alone.
His friend intervened.
The group then helped bring him aboard.
Emergency responders completed the next stage.
The outcome was not guaranteed.
But the sequence ended with Jose alive and receiving hospital treatment.
The most memorable image is the friend entering the water while the shark was still attacking.
The animal had already bitten Jose.
It was continuing to lunge.
The rescuer approached with a speargun and struck toward its mouth.
The shark moved away.
The encounter ended.
For Jose, that intervention was the difference he remembered most clearly.
He later credited his friend with saving his life.