A man has been seriously injured after he was bitten by a shark while fishing off the coast of Cork, Ireland. He suffered a serious lower arm injury when he was bitten by the shark while deep-sea angling. The man, from Belfast, was given immediate first aid by the crew of the angling boat he was on, before being transferred to the lifeboat where further casualty care was given on board. Crosshaven RNLI volunteers were called to the scene at 6pm. A RNLI spokesman added: "This was more of an angling accident than a shark attack, there was a bit of a struggle when pulling the shark on board. "We're not trying to panic anyone." The boat Deora De sailed towards Crosshaven from about eight miles offshore and met with the Crosshaven lifeboat about four miles south of Roches Point. The lifeboat was met at Crosshaven by an ambulance and the man was transported to Cork University Hospital. Although blue sharks are the most common species of shark in Irish waters, they rarely bite humans. They usually feed on small fish and squid, and can live for around 20 years. Until 2013, the blue shark was implicated in only 13 biting incidents with humans, four of which ended fatally. Crosshaven RNLI added: "We wish the patient well."<doc-sep>A MAN was rushed to hospital after he was bitten by a shark while angling off the coast of Cork. The Belfast man was attacked by a blue shark and suffered a serious lower arm injury yesterday evening. 2 The man was bitten by a blue shark Credit: Alamy Crosshaven RNLI volunteers were alerted at 6pm and launched a rescue lifeboat. The deep sea angling boat “Deora De” steamed towards Crosshaven from about 13 miles offshore and rendezvoused with the Crosshaven lifeboat about four miles south of Roches Point. The casualty was given immediate first aid by the crew of the angling boat before being transferred to the lifeboat where further casualty care was given on board. The lifeboat was met at Crosshaven by a NAS Paramedic crew who transported the casualty to Cork University Hospital. 2 Crosshaven RNLI operated a rescue mission The RNLI said that they "wish the patient well." A RNLI spokesman added: "This was more of an angling accident than a shark attack, there was a bit of a struggle when pulling the shark on board. "We're not trying to panic anyone." The RNLI crew who led the operation was James Fegan with Jenna O’Shea, Derek Moynan and Vincent Fleming, Shore Crew, Kevin McCarthy, Robbie O’Riordan, Peter Lane and Hugh Mockler. Blue sharks are the most common species of shark in Irish waters. MOST READ IN NEWS PUP update Pandemic Unemployment Payment and Wage Subsidy to begin phase out from October TONE DEAF Live music ban at pubs, restaurants and hotels sparks fury ahead of reopening urgent appeal Gardai appeal to find four children missing from Dublin for almost 3 weeks LAST ORDERS 'No alternative' but to refuse to grant Berlin D2 bar licences renewal troll hell Andrew McGinley says trolls pretended to know family & 'facts' of how kids died Down Time Dublin salon praised for introducing silent appointments after Covid reopening LIFE'S A BEACH Kate & Wills hit the beach as they return to St Andrews where they first met Latest pub rules Live music banned, no standing at bar & strict curfew in pubs when indoor returns Exclusive HEFTY ORDER Restaurant slams Deliveroo after app says no refund at kid's €174 order blunder Latest shooter surrender Moment tense siege ends as topless maniac leaves house with arms in air They can grow to a maximum length of just under four metres and can live up to 20 years. Their diet includes small fish, squid, mackerel, tunas, lobsters, crabs, small sharks and occasionally seabirds. They usually seek to catch small prey, but if they find large mammal carrion, it becomes part of their food.<doc-sep>A Belfast man was bitten by blue shark while fishing off the coast of Cork on Saturday evening. The man sustained a serious lower arm injury while deep-sea angling. The unnamed victim was given immediate first aid by the crew of the boat he was on - Deora De - before being transferred to a lifeboat where further casualty care was given. Crosshaven RNLI said it was alerted to the incident around 6pm and met with the Deora De about 4 miles south of Roches Point. The lifeboat was then met at Crosshaven by a NAS Paramedic crew who took the man to University Hospital. A RNLI spokesman added: “This was more of an angling accident than a shark attack, there was a bit of a struggle when pulling the shark on board. “We’re not trying to panic anyone.” Although blue sharks are the most common species of shark in Irish waters, they rarely bite humans. They usually feed on small fish and squid, and can live for around 20 years. Until 2013, the blue shark was implicated in only 13 biting incidents with humans, four of which ended fatally.<doc-sep>
A Belfast man suffered a serious lower arm injury after being bitten by a shark while fishing off the coast of Cork on Saturday. The man was given immediate first aid by the crew of the angling boat he was on and was later transferred to a lifeboat for further casualty care. Crosshaven RNLI volunteers were called to the scene at 6pm. Recommended Swimmer survives shark attack by remembering something he saw on TV The man is believed to have been bitten by a blue shark, which are the most common species of shark in Irish waters. The species is considered to be relatively unaggressive and examples of attacks on humans are rare. Until 2013, blue sharks are thought to have been involved in just 13 biting incidents with humans and they are not usually dangerous to people. Only four biting incidents have ended fatally. A RNLI spokesperson sought to bring calm to the incident saying: "This was more of an angling accident than a shark attack, there was a bit of a struggle when pulling the shark on board. "We're not trying to panic anyone." ✕ Great white shark jumps out at researcher with open jaws in Cape Cod, Massachusetts The deep-sea angling boat Deora De, where the attack took place, sailed towards Crosshaven after the incident and met with a lifeboat about four miles south of Roches Point, Cork. The lifeboat was then met by an ambulance at Crosshaven, which transported the man to Cork University Hospital. In a statement on Facebook, Crosshaven RNLI said: "We wish the patient well." Blue sharks are considered “seasonal visitors” to British and Irish waters, according to the Shark Trust, and usually feed on small fish and squid. The species is believed to have a lifespan of more than 20 years and grow to a length between six and seven feet on average, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History. Agencies contributed to this report