At 72, Bill Von Herbulis refuses to let life in a wheelchair keep him from fishing or tending his crab traps each day at the marina near his Florida home.
But on Sept. 27, Von Herbulis became the one who needed rescuing.
Sgt. William Leven is now being honored with a Lifesaving Award after plunging into shark-filled waters during feeding time and lifting Von Herbulis to safety over sharp oyster shells and dock pylons covered in barnacles.
Bill Von Herbulis fishes at the dock near his home in New Smyrna Beach, Fla. (Courtesy of Lori Von Herbulis)
The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office shared video of the rescue on Facebook the following day, commending the sergeant for his quick response.
Despite the frightening incident, Von Herbulis said his fishing routine was interrupted for only a day. “I was back the next day,” he said.
“He doesn’t miss,” his wife, Lori Von Herbulis, said with a laugh.
Fish story
As he did every day, Von Herbulis headed to the marina in his condominium community in New Smyrna Beach, Florida.
He traveled in his electric wheelchair, towing a wagon loaded with fishing and crabbing equipment. Once he reached the narrow private dock near Ponce de Leon Inlet, where the water meets the Atlantic Ocean, he carried his gear to his usual spot.
His wife of 41 years had gone out for the evening, but Von Herbulis was accustomed to fishing alone.
At the dock, he guided the cart holding his fishing poles and tackle box ahead of his wheelchair, moving beyond the boat slips to his favorite fishing location.
An aerial view of New Smyrna Beach, Florida. (iStock)
The evening produced little excitement on the fishing front. As the sun began to set, he gathered his equipment and prepared to head home.
For safety reasons, the former water treatment plant operator is not supposed to remain on the dock after dark.
The dock was also far quieter than usual. Von Herbulis said other anglers typically filled the area, while visitors wandered along the waterfront to take in the sunset.
That night, however, he was alone with the sound of waves brushing against the dock and the rising tide.
At around 7:30 p.m., he was making his way across the planks when the wagon struck a dock box and folded sharply behind him.
The impact caused his wheelchair to topple over.
Sgt. William Leven rescued Bill Von Herbulis in New Smyrna Beach, Florida on Sept. 27, 2026. (Volusia County Sheriff’s Office)
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Von Herbulis tumbled into the water.
His cellphone, his lifeline to support, went, too.
Von Herbulis stayed calm.
“I looked up and swam up to the surface of the water,” he said.
Because it was high tide, he was able to reach up and grasp an electrical conduit pipe jutting between boat slips. At low tide, it would have been 4-6 feet out of reach, Lori Von Herbulis told News Media.
It “was the closest thing that didn’t have barnacles or oysters on it,” her husband said.
“Help!” he called out. But no one came.
About every 30 seconds, he cried out, “hollering for help,” he said.
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He knew his wife would come looking for him when she arrived back home and didn’t find him there.
“I’m thinking, Am I gonna have to wait here all night?”
Finally, a just-arriving angler heard splashing and saw Von Herbulis clinging to the pipe. But a locked gate on the dock prevented him from getting close.
“We don’t think he belonged there—not that we care, because he was our angel,” Lori Von Herbulis said. “But he didn’t have a key to get in.”
The man called 911 anonymously to report a “possible drowning,” sheriff’s office records show.
At about 9 p.m., Leven and his partner, Deputy Boris Rodriguez, raced to the private marina at the Minorca condominium community.
They found the overturned wheelchair and saw Von Herbulis “struggling to keep his head above water,” a sheriff’s office incident report shows.
Bodycam footage shows Leven shedding the belt holding his gun holster before getting into the water with a sheriff’s office buoy. Careful to avoid the sharp oyster shells below and razor-like edges of barnacles on the dock pylons all around, Leven got the buoy to Von Herbulis. And he snatched a bag of Von Herbulis’s belongings as it floated away.
Bill Von Herbulis leaves the dock after being rescued. (Volusia County Sheriff’s Office)
With the help of bystanders, the deputies got Von Herbulis up the nearby stairs from the water to the dock. Von Herbulis, who can’t stand or walk since breaking his neck 19 years ago, declined medical attention.
They got him back into his electric wheelchair, and he motored home with a grateful heart.
Shark-filled waters
As of September 2026, there have been 44 shark attack bites globally this year, according to data from Tracking Sharks, an organization that publishes records on shark incidents. In 11 of the attacks, the sharks were said to have been “provoked,” according to the organization. Eight of the attacks this year have been fatal.
There have been 13 shark attack bites in the United States this year, according to the organization. None have been fatal.
Florida leads as the U.S. state with the “highest frequency of unprovoked shark encounters,” the organization’s website states.
In September, a surfer was bitten on the foot by a shark in New Smyrna Beach, not far from where Von Herbulis was rescued.
One of the best ways to avoid being bitten by a shark is to stay out of the water at dawn or dusk, according to experts with the International Shark Attack File. The scientific project is part of the Florida Museum of Natural History at the University of Florida in Gainesville.
It’s also important to swim with a buddy, avoid swimming where people are fishing, and avoid splashing, the scientific group warns on its website.
Surfers hit the waves at New Smyrna Beach in Florida. (Barbara V. Perez/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Von Herbulis inadvertently broke those rules, putting him at increased risk.
But there are ways to reduce risk if a shark approaches, scientists advise on the project website.
“Maintain eye contact with the shark,” a tip list advises. “Slowly move away, and if possible, exit the water.”
And “if the shark tries to bite you,” the page advises, “hit the shark in the eyes and gills, sensitive areas that can be hurt, regardless of personal strength.”
Another recommended tactic: “Hit the shark on the snout and push away. Water-resistance weakens your punch.”
At his fishing spot, Von Herbulis often catches sharks, once one about seven feet long, he said. And they often snatch half the redfish or snook he’s caught as he reels in his catch.
He’s fallen in twice before. His wife doesn’t go with him, she said, because she fears witnessing that.
But Von Herbulis, also an avid hunter, shrugs off the danger he faced in the dark water alone.
He avoided injury on the sharp barnacles and oysters, because he “made a clean dive in the water,” he joked.
And “there’s obviously sharks in that water,” the grandfather of six said with a chuckle.
“But they didn’t want me.”