A surfer who was bitten by a bull shark in Florida has been identified.
Daniel Adams was paddling near the Mayport Naval Base in St. Augustine October 30 when he was bitten on the right foot by a shark.
He was one of two people who were bitten within one day of each other, along the same stretch of beach.
“I was lying down on my board and all of a sudden I just felt this horrendous pressure on my foot; it was like a steel trap that just clamped down on my foot,” the 41-year-old told The Sun.
“The shark put a death grip hold on my leg as my entire foot was in his mouth prior to his teeth sinking into me because the bite marks are closer to my ankle.
***Graphic photo below***
“I was powerless to move, and it had me for a few seconds. The scary thing is that I never saw it coming and had no advance warning.
“The shark then opened his mouth and let me go. I pulled my foot up and all I could see was blood (link to graphic image of wound).
“I knew I was in trouble and time was against me. I couldn’t stay out in that water bleeding as much as I was, so I quickly paddled for shore.
“My foot looked like it had been filleted open by a butcher knife in several places. I was dripping blood everywhere.”
Adams made it back to the beach where he was transported to the hospital. He had 14 puncture wounds which required 38 stitches.
“I’ve seen sharks, I’ve had them swim underneath, I’ve seen them strike the surface of the water, but I’ve never had one act this way,” he said.
He believes it was a bull shark that bit his foot in an effort to protect its territory.
There have been a total of 91 shark attack bites in 2016. Seven of which were fatal; 42 were reported in the US, with 30 occurring in Florida. Nineteen have occurred in Australia, three of which were fatal.
All locations have been marked on the 2016 shark attack bites tracking map.
