According to the reported account, the animal made repeated lunges during the approximately 13-second encounter.
It bit Jose's leg and attempted to reach his upper body.
That made the situation especially dangerous.
An injury to the torso can affect major organs and blood vessels.
Jose needed to prevent the shark from making further contact.
He reacted by fighting back.
The diver used his hands to try to control the animal's mouth and keep its jaws away from him.
The response was desperate.
A human swimmer cannot match the power of a bull shark in the water.
The animal's body is adapted for rapid movement and forceful swimming.
Jose was attempting to resist those movements while injured.
His hands were dangerously close to the shark's teeth.
But he had few alternatives.
The attack was unfolding at close range.
He could not simply swim away while the animal continued lunging.
The available account does not establish the precise sequence of every bite or the exact number of times Jose struck or pushed the shark.
What is clear is that he fought to prevent further injuries.
He attempted to hold the shark's mouth away from his body.
But the animal continued attacking.
The danger was escalating.
And the entire encounter was happening in a matter of seconds.
Chapter 4: Thirteen Seconds of Underwater Terror
Thirteen seconds is a remarkably short period of time.
It is barely enough to complete a brief conversation.
But in open water, while a large shark is repeatedly attacking, those seconds can become a fight for survival.
Jose was facing an animal estimated to be approximately eight feet long.
The shark had already bitten his leg.
It was continuing to lunge toward him, including toward his upper body.
Jose attempted to defend himself by using his hands to keep the shark's mouth away.
The physical danger was extraordinary.
He was injured.
He was still in the ocean.
And the animal was capable of inflicting additional wounds before he could reach safety.
A diver under attack must manage several threats simultaneously.
The immediate danger comes from the shark's teeth.
The physical struggle also requires energy and can interfere with swimming.
If the victim is forced underwater, maintaining access to air becomes another urgent concern.
In Jose's case, the reported account emphasizes the repeated lunges and his attempts to prevent the animal from biting him again.
It does not establish that he was dragged to a particular depth or held underwater for a specific duration.
Those details should not be invented.