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A SURF instructor has been mauled by a shark at a popular Florida beach known as the “shark bite capital of the world.”
Sam Hollis, 18, was sitting on his board and dangling his legs in the water when the shark bit his foot and dragged him into the water.
He was rushed to the hospital and treated for his non-life-threatening injuries on Friday, according to ABC affiliate WFTV.
Onlookers said first responders were quick to arrive on the scene to help Hollis — which might be because they’re familiar with these kinds of emergencies.
The shark attack is the fourth one so far this summer to hit New Smyrna Beach, about 60 miles northeast of Orlando.
The East Coast beach is notorious for shark bites, inspiring the widely known nickname of the “shark bite capital of the world.”
Volusia County has reported the most unprovoked shark attacks, with over 300 attacks since 1882.
Hollis told NBC affiliate WESH the shark came out of nowhere.
“It just grabbed me by my foot and just yanked me off my board and was like, yeah, ‘I’m having you for a little snack man,'” Hollis said.
“And then I was like having none of that so I kicked it.”
He then was able to swim away and get help.
“So this is what it feels like,” Hollis recalled thinking to the outlet.
“I was like, this is what being attacked by a shark feels like,” he said.
Hollis’ bite is the second one this month after another surfer was bitten on July 6.
Matthew Bender was hospitalized after his left arm was mangled by a shark attack.
Emergency surgery helped to save his arm, he told Fox affiliate WOFL.
“I felt it clamp down like a bear trap out of nowhere,” Bender told the outlet.
“By the time I looked down, it was already gone.”
Bender said he never even saw the shark.
“It felt like electricity and like extreme pressure. And then I think it shook its head. I definitely felt that as it was letting go. It was also fast.”
Protect yourself from a shark attack
Below are some tips to protect yourself from shark attacks:
- Swim in groups
- Don’t swim during dawn or dusk
- Avoid fishing areas
- Don’t wear anything bright
- Pay attention to your surroundings
Source: American Surf Magazine
Despite the scary attacks, both Bender and Hollis said they plan to return to the water soon.
“It’s like being out there in your happy place on the water, it’s very peaceful,” Hollis told WESH.
“There’s no reason to stop doing something you love just cause something bad happened to you.”
Earlier this summer, a shark at New Smyrna Beach leaped out of the water and smacked a local surfer in the face.
