Georgia boy fights off shark along Florida coast

A 12-year-old boy from Sparks, Georgia says he came face to face with a shark in waist-deep water.

According to a report from First Coast News in Jacksonville, the boy was swimming in waist deep water around 12:30 p.m. when police say he felt something bite around his knee.

Hospital officials said Josh is in good condition.

Ocean rescue says normally you would see purple flags flying in certain areas warning people of a shark sighting, but prior to the attack, the police department did not receive any calls about shark sightings over the weekend.

Josh said he wanted to swim before the splint on his right foot, broken in a football accident, was replaced by a cast.

Last Thursday a 20-year-old man in Jacksonville Beach suffered injuries from what appeared to be a shark bite.

The 16-year-old, Filippo Schiavo of St. Augustine, has been released from the hospital but will need surgery to fix tendon damage, his mother told News4Jax.

This latest bite brings the shark bite count to 10 in Volusia County. It happened near 25th Avenue South.