Sam Hollis (right) was bitten on the left foot by a shark. Photo: WESH 2 News
New Smyrna Beach has once again proven why it is known as the “shark bite capital of the world.” As USA Today reports, the famously sharky surf break claimed yet another victim Friday.
The recipient of the bite was Sam Hollis, an 18-year-old surf instructor. As he told to NBC’s Today, he was attempting to push his board over a wave when the animal bit him in the left foot. “It just kind of felt like something clamping down really hard, and then it kind of felt hot, because the teeth obviously, you know, started to dig into my skin,” he explained.
“I didn’t see it beforehand, I didn’t hear it or anything. It just kind of yanked me,” Hollis continued.
Hollis kicked the shark in the nose until it let go, then was able to swim to safety. Afterwards, he was transported to a hospital with “non-life-threatening injuries,” as Volusia County Beach Safety deputy chief Aaron Jenkins told Today.
This is the second time this month a surfer has been attacked at New Smyrna. The last incident occurred July 6, when Matthew Bender, 40, of Winter Park, Florida felt a shark latch on to his arm.
“I felt it clamp down like a bear trap out of nowhere,” Bender told WOFL-TV. “By the time I looked down, it was already gone. I never saw the shark, but it bit really forcefully. 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.”