Shark Bite Victim ‘Punched’ His Way Out Of Danger

Volusia County Beach Safety spokesman Aaron Jenkins said the 5ft-long blacktip shark bit the teen “on the left hand and he punched it away and it only bit him one time”.

He was taken to the hospital with what Jenkins says were “significant lacerations to the left hand, around the knuckle and palm”. “He was screaming for help”, Cole Toomsoo, 12, told WFTV9.

A teen surfer fought off a shark in Florida, but not before it bit off a chunk of his hand on Sunday morning.

Beach safety officials said other surfers described the shark as a blacktip that was approximately five feet long.

He paddled back to shore, where responders brought him to Bert Fish Medical Center to perform surgery on his hand.

Just two weeks ago another 14-year old surfer was bitten on the leg in the very same beach.

The water in the area of the attack remains open, Jenkins said.

Common advice about how to handle these types of situations is to attempt to hit the shark on its nose. “There’s a lot of bait fish… that kind of draws those sharks in”, he said.

There have been at least 10 shark attacks or bites in Volusia County this year.