Shark Mauls Surfer 'Like a Bear Trap' in Florida (Video)
Good news is: Bender, who is 40 years old, is on the road to recovery. Speaking from his hospital bed, Bender told the tale of what happened. Hear all about it below.
'Just like a lightning strike, the shark came out of nowhere,' Bender recounted. 'I just felt it chomp down on my arm. It felt like a bear trap. Unfortunately, it shredded my arm. It immediately let go, and was gone in a flash.'
It was believed that the shark responsible was a bull shark. Bender acted quickly, getting to shore and using his leash as a tourniquet to quell the bleeding, then flagging down others to come help. From there, it was to the hospital.And it's not the first time that Bender's encountered sharks while surfing NSB.
'I've sen great whites out there,' he said. 'Believe it or not, I've seen one eat a stingray in front of me. You don't really think about them in Florida, but we have every species out there apparently. I've seen great hammerheads that are 15 feet long.'
Florida (and Volusia County where New Smyrna Beach is) consistently rank high when it comes to annual shark attacks. According to the International Shark Attack File's report from last year:
'With warm waters and ample shoreline, Florida had a total of 14 bites, more than any other state. Of these, eight occurred in Volusia County, which bears the unofficial title of shark bite capital of the world. Though unconfirmed, many of these bites were likely from blacktip sharks, whose breeding grounds stretch along the northeast Florida coastline. Many of the sharks in this area are juveniles and haven't yet fully developed the ability to distinguish between humans and their natural prey, which includes fish, stingrays and other sharks.'
As for Bender, he's undergone surgery and as soon as he can, he's going back out surfing.Shark Mauls Surfer 'Like a Bear Trap' in Florida (Video) first appeared on Surfer on Jul 8, 2025
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