Man recovering from crocodile attack, plans to continue sailing his boat

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A South Florida man is grateful to be alive after being bitten by a crocodile over the weekend.

Speaking to Local 10 News from his hospital bed, 68-year-old Rodrigo Constain recalled what happened when he was rushed to Jackson South Medical Center on Sunday.

“After an experience like this, to be alive is to be grateful with God,” Constain said.

It happened just before 5 p.m. near Flamingo Marina inside Everglades National Park after Constain had just gone out on his sailboat.

The boat capsized, so Constain got out to put it upright.

That’s when he said he felt something grab onto his leg.

“I felt the nose, and I grabbed on to it to pull apart (its jaws), but he opened his mouth by himself,” said Constain.

He said he used the boat to shield him as he dragged it back towards the dock.

His wife and park rangers helped tend to his wounds, Constain said.

It was there that they figured out that a crocodile had been lurking in the water.

Despite the ordeal, Constain said it won’t stop him from going out on the water again.

“I’m not afraid because when you have God with you, you are not afraid,” he said.