Teen Vows to Keep Surfing After Being Attacked by Shark in 'Shark Bite Capital of the World'
A teenager who was attacked by a shark earlier this month isn't going to let that deter him from getting back into the water.
Sam Hollis, an 18-year-old surf instructor, according to local NBC affiliate WESH — was in the middle of giving a lesson at New Smyrna Beach, known as the 'Shark Bite Capital of the World," when he was attacked while sitting on his board with his feet dangling in the water.
"[The shark] just grabbed me by my foot and yanked me off my board, and was like, 'Yeah I'm going to have you for a little snack, man,' " Hollis told the outlet in an interview from his hospital bed. "I was having none of that, so I kicked it."
The kick was enough to make the shark flee, but first it sunk its teeth into the teen's foot.
Fortunately, Hollis was able to swim away and get help on shore, where he was then taken to the hospital.
Hollis told the outlet that although he'll still need to use crutches or some other mobility aid for a while once he's out of the hospital, he's already thinking about getting back on his board.
"There's no reason to stop doing something you love just 'cause something bad happened to you," he said. "That's the first thing I want to get back to doing, because I think it's important to not let something like this dictate doing things you love."
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According to Volusia County, where New Smyrna Beach is located, Hollis' attack marked the fourth shark attack this year — and there have been 359 'unprovoked' shark attacks recorded in the county since 1882, the most of any Florida county, according to the International Shark Attack File, the Florida Museum of Natural History's database.
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