NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) — A young surfer says he’s lucky he still has his foot after a scary encounter with a shark at a Florida beach.
Sam Hollis, 18, said it was a normal day out on the water at New Smyrna Beach when a big wave washed over and that’s when he felt a bad bite.
“It felt clamped and then it kind of felt hot because of the teeth and then it just kind of started pulling. It’s almost like a dog with a toy in its mouth going like, you know, like that,” he said.
The surfing instructor said he’s been surfing since his childhood, but on Friday, his foot was bitten by a shark during a lesson. The big wave sent him off his board and by the time he got back on, his feet was hanging in the water.
That’s when a shark snuck up on him.
“I was kicking at it after I realized it had me in its mouth. I was like, ‘Yeah, get this thing away from me!’” said Hollis.
According to Hollis, the shark dragged him 10 to 15 feet before he was able to escape its grasp.
“It tried to swim away, but it still had my foot in its mouth for a good little bit and I mean, obviously they’re fast,” he said.
This latest shark attack marks the fourth one this year at just New Smyrna Beach and the second attack in less than two weeks.
Beachgoers expressed their reactions to the recent bite.
“I’ve been here most all my life. I’ve seen plenty of sharks never encountered too close,” said Richard Warren.
“One thing I do, and I told my daughter to do it, whenever you’re out there, just don’t be the furthest person out,” said Joshua Cotelesse, who is vacationing from Ohio.
As for Hollis, he said this bite won’t stop him from going back into the water and doing what he loves.
Hollis is expected to be released from the hospital Sunday and said he will need crutches or a mobility scooter while the healing continues.