MIAMI -- A Florida man who rescued his wife when she was attacked by a shark talked about the experience publicly for the first time on Tuesday.

Dr. Michael Glen said that he and his wife were on a dive trip in the Turks and Caicos Islands on Sept. 14. He said that during the dive, they saw more sharks at one time than they had ever seen before. Glen, who is an orthopedic surgeon, said he was photographing the sharks, and one swam past him just feet away. That shark then rubbed up against Glen's wife, Micki. As Glen watched in horror, the shark "latched onto her."

Nearly overcome by emotion, Glen said, "I swam to her as fast as I could."

He said her injuries were so severe, that when his wife asked him if she would survive, he really didn't know at first if he or anyone else would be able to save her.

Glen and another doctor friend, who was on the dive boat, were able to stop the bleeding. But by the time Micki Glen was flown to the United States for treatment, doctors said she had lost 50 percent of her body's blood volume. She was brought to Ryder Trauma Center in Miami. Adequate treatment for injuries this severe would be difficult if not impossible to get in the islands, according to the doctor.

Glen said that it took seven hours to get his wife into treatment in Miami, and the ordeal "gave him second thoughts about leaving the United States."

Micki Glen underwent six hours of surgery, and was initially listed in critical condition. She is now listed in good condition, and doctors said that she has regained circulation in her arm. On Friday they plan to transplant nerves from her leg to help restore use of the arm.