Cary Daniel Sullivent rescued his wife, Tabatha Sullivent, from an attacking shark, South Padre Island, Texas, July 4, 2024. Tabatha was wading in three feet of water about 150 feet from shore in the Gulf of Mexico when a bull shark estimated at 8 feet long and weighing 400 pounds bit off her left calf. She pushed the shark away with her hands and, bleeding badly, swam and waded towards shore while yelling for help. Sullivent, 49, construction company owner, was sitting on the beach when he saw his wife in distress and sprinted into the surf to grab her. As bystanders ran into the water to help, he began pulling her towards the beach. He had pulled her about 30 feet when the shark reappeared a few feet away and attacked again. Sullivent released his wife and told a friend to grab her, then turned around and dived onto the shark, landing a punch on its gill and driving it away. The shark had bitten off most of Tabatha’s calf and she underwent surgeries and physical therapy to regain the partial use of her leg. Sullivent suffered a gash below his right knee, a gash on his right foot and a puncture wound on his right calf. He recovered.
2024-0000269-10481Cary Daniel Sullivent
Celina, TX