Latest news with #MattBender
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Shark Chomps Pelican in Florida, Swimmers Unfazed (Video)
Are Floridians numb to sharks? Sure seems like it, as recent footage showing a large shark just a few feet from shore, rampaging in the water, munching a pelican, and swimmers a mere few feet away…just standing there nonchalantly, and watching it all go down. Reporting on the video, awesomely-named Louisiana country music station 97.3 'The Dawg,' described: 'A video on social media shows a small crowd of beachgoers standing in the water as a large bull shark reportedly eats a pelican. You can see some people rush out of the water as the shark approaches the shore, but two women closest to the shark were undeterred by this potential threat.' Yeah, those two women seem totally unfazed; watch below. The footage was posted on June 20th on a Facebook page called 'All Things Navarre Beach & Pensacola Beach Official,' with the caption: 'Footage captured of a shark taking down a pelican yesterday at Pensacola Beach! Be careful & alert.'And while the action is most obviously happening between the bull shark and the bird, most people couldn't get past the fact that these two women just stood there, very close, and watched as the vicious attack went down. One commenter wrote: 'Probably should get all the way out of the water. These are the ones you can't feel sorry for if something were to happen. I promise that shark is quicker in that water than anyone in the picture. Best of luck have fun.' In other Florida shark news, at the same spot in Pensacola, an angler hooked an 11-foot, 1,000-pound tiger shark, then posed with it for this insane photo: And before that, avid surfer Matt Bender was attacked by a shark while surfing at New Smyrna Beach – aka the 'shark bite capital of the world' – getting his arm totally shredded in the process. And yet, he vowed to paddle back out once he's healed up. Yep, safe to say, Floridians are thoroughly desensitized to shark Chomps Pelican in Florida, Swimmers Unfazed (Video) first appeared on Surfer on Jul 10, 2025
Daily Mail
09-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Surfer nearly loses his arm after shark attack in Florida
A Florida surfer almost lost his arm after a shark attack at New Smyrna Beach. Dramatic video captured the moment Matt Bender, 40, of Orlando, was bandaged up as blood gushed from his limb. The surfer was riding the waves at around 3pm on Sunday when he was mauled by the shark. The video shows the chaotic moments after the attack as beachgoers rushed to help. Blood can be seen on Bender's arm as his hand appears to be hanging on by a string as a fellow surfers wrap it in towels and attempt to calm him down. 'I felt it clamp down like a bear trap out of nowhere,' he told Fox affiliate WOFL–TV. He said it felt like 'electricity' when the shark bit into his right forearm. 'I never saw the shark, but it bit really forcefully. It felt like electricity.' Bender was rushed to a nearby hospital and is now in recovery, his friends said. Despite the gruesome photos of his savaged arm, his friends shut down rumors that his hand had been completely bitten off. They shared on Facebook: 'Our good friend and fellow waterman Matt Bender was bit by a shark today while surfing in New Smyrna. 'Contrary to what's said in this video clip that's circulating, his hand was not bitten off - he's doing good considering, but he was injured and needs our support and prayers right now.' 'Matt is a strong, godly man and part of our surf family - so we're asking all our Raw Surf friends and fans to lift him up in prayer tonight. Let's cover him in love and healing energy as he begins to recover.' In July 2024, New Smyrna Beach was named America's deadliest beach - mainly due to hurricane fatalities - and has also been dubbed the 'shark bite capital' of the world.
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Surfer recalls shark attack: 'It felt like a bear trap'
A man who was attacked by a shark while surfing at a Florida beach known as the "shark bite capital of the world" is sharing the harrowing details of his survival. "Just, like, a lightning strike -- the shark came out of nowhere," Matt Bender told ABC News from his hospital bed on Sunday, describing the attack. "I just felt it chomp down on my arm. It felt like a bear trap." He added that the shark's bite "shredded my arm," but it "immediately let go, and it was gone in a flash." The 40-year-old avid surfer from Winter Park knows the waters off New Smyrna Beach well and was in just 5 feet of water when the attack occurred. Bender said in the aftermath of the attack, he used his leash as a tourniquet, got on his belly, and used his surfboard like a boogie board to get back to shore safely before flagging down a young girl and her dad for help. "I was yelling 'help.' They saw the blood. They reacted well. I wasn't freaking out. And I think that was a huge blessing," he recalled. Lifeguards and paramedics treated Bender there on the sand before he was taken to a hospital in Daytona Beach, where he underwent surgery on his arm. "Apparently, they had to repair a lot of stuff. It was a pretty long surgery, but I can move my hand, and it looks like a good prognosis, so I'm very pleased, and I feel very blessed," Bender said. New Smyrna Beach, located in Volusia County, reported eight shark bites last year and has seen more than 300 unprovoked shark encounters since the 1880s. Experts say the area's combination of bait fish and consistent surf breaks creates ideal and sometimes dangerous conditions for both sharks and surfers. Despite the close call, Bender said he hopes to be back in the water in a couple of months. "It just comes with the territory. I'm very fortunate that it wasn't worse," he said. "It's sad, because it is dangerous, but it's just the place to surf if you're in Florida and you want to surf." Bender said he has seen multiple sharks there while surfing, but he still goes because it has the best waves in the state. "I've seen great whites out there, believe it or not -- I saw one eat a sting ray right in front of me," Bender said. "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." Bender's shark encounter comes amid a string of shark sightings across the country: Recent sightings in New York caused alarm over the holiday weekend and forced multiple closures at Rockaway Beach.
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Surfer recalls shark attack: 'It felt like a bear trap'
A man who was attacked by a shark while surfing at a Florida beach known as the "shark bite capital of the world" is sharing the harrowing details of his survival. "Just, like, a lightning strike -- the shark came out of nowhere," Matt Bender told ABC News from his hospital bed on Sunday, describing the attack. "I just felt it chomp down on my arm. It felt like a bear trap." He added that the shark's bite "shredded my arm," but it "immediately let go, and it was gone in a flash." The 40-year-old avid surfer from Winter Park knows the waters off New Smyrna Beach well and was in just 5 feet of water when the attack occurred. Bender said in the aftermath of the attack, he used his leash as a tourniquet, got on his belly, and used his surfboard like a boogie board to get back to shore safely before flagging down a young girl and her dad for help. "I was yelling 'help.' They saw the blood. They reacted well. I wasn't freaking out. And I think that was a huge blessing," he recalled. Lifeguards and paramedics treated Bender there on the sand before he was taken to a hospital in Daytona Beach, where he underwent surgery on his arm. "Apparently, they had to repair a lot of stuff. It was a pretty long surgery, but I can move my hand, and it looks like a good prognosis, so I'm very pleased, and I feel very blessed," Bender said. New Smyrna Beach, located in Volusia County, reported eight shark bites last year and has seen more than 300 unprovoked shark encounters since the 1880s. Experts say the area's combination of bait fish and consistent surf breaks creates ideal and sometimes dangerous conditions for both sharks and surfers. Despite the close call, Bender said he hopes to be back in the water in a couple of months. "It just comes with the territory. I'm very fortunate that it wasn't worse," he said. "It's sad, because it is dangerous, but it's just the place to surf if you're in Florida and you want to surf." Bender said he has seen multiple sharks there while surfing, but he still goes because it has the best waves in the state. "I've seen great whites out there, believe it or not -- I saw one eat a sting ray right in front of me," Bender said. "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." Bender's shark encounter comes amid a string of shark sightings across the country: Recent sightings in New York caused alarm over the holiday weekend and forced multiple closures at Rockaway Beach.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Yahoo
Shark Mauls Surfer 'Like a Bear Trap' in Florida (Video)
Over the holiday weekend, avid surfer Matt Bender was in the water at New Smyrna Beach in Florida when, out of nowhere, a shark latched onto his arm and aggressively attacked him. It's no huge surprise, since NSB is commonly known as the 'shark attack capital of the world,' but still, this wasn't just your average nip. Bender's arm got totally mangled. 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 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 Mauls Surfer 'Like a Bear Trap' in Florida (Video) first appeared on Surfer on Jul 8, 2025
