A pregnant woman dived into the sea in the Florida Keys to save her husband from an attacking shark.

Police said Andrew Charles Eddy, 30, was snorkelling on Sombrero Reef but was bitten by the shark almost immediately after entering the water.

His wife, Margot Dukes-Eddy, saw the shark’s dorsal fin and her husband’s blood filling the water, and dived in “without hesitation”, officials said.

After she had pulled Mr Eddy to safety, other family members called 911.

He was airlifted to a trauma centre in Miami on Sunday where he was treated for severe shoulder injuries.

Rescue official Ryan Johnson told local media that Mr Eddy was in a “critical condition” when they arrived.

The couple, from the state of Georgia, were on holiday in Florida with family and had been sailing on a private boat together.

A few others from their group were already snorkelling when Mr Eddy got into the water to join them.

Deputy Christopher Aguanno wrote in the police report that there were other people, not from their group, snorkelling in the area as well.

Witnesses later reported seeing a large shark about eight to 10ft long, which looked like a bull shark, swimming in the area earlier in the day.

Florida has the highest number of shark attacks in the world, with 21 reported in 2019, according to the Florida Museum. However, shark attacks worldwide are extremely rare.