An experienced surfer is lucky to be alive after a brutal shark attack off the coast of Florida last weekend.
According to the Daytona Beach News-Journal, surfer Charley Hajek was on his board off of New Smyrna Beach on Sunday, Sept. 22, when he encountered the shark.
The surfer, who is known as “Gnarly Charlie” and owns Gnarly Charley Surf Series, revealed the attack occurred after he accidentally stepped on the predator fish.
“By the time I even thought twice about it, it [was] just bam! It bit me up,” the surfer explained about the shark attack. “Man, I felt like I stepped my foot on a light socket.”
Amid the attack, Hajek was bitten within a half-inch of his Achilles tendon. The surfer then paddled to shore, where he was able to assess the damage.
“I take that first step on the beach, and all those little teeth, you could see them,” he told NBC affiliate WESH. “Those are perfect little slices of my leg everywhere, and it just opened up like a flower and blew blood out everywhere. Man, it was so gnarly. “
After he stopped the bleeding by making a tourniquet out of his surfboard leash, Hajek drove himself to a nearby hospital. He received multiple stitches and is unable to go back in the water while his wound heals.
“I’ve been I’ve been stung by some nasty jellyfish, box jellyfish,” Hajek said about his past injuries in the ocean. “But, yeah — various things. Lots of surfboard accidents.”
This was the first time the surfer experienced a shark attack. Unfortunately, the incident caused him to break his 148-day surfing streak.
“I’m anxious to get back out there,” he added about surfing once again after the wound heals.
The type of shark that attacked him remains unknown.
New Smyrna Beach Is Considered the ‘Shark Bite Capital of the World’
Last month, Daytona Beach News-Journal reported that New Smyrna Beach is considered the “shark bite capital of the world” due to having more bites than anywhere else.
Shark attack victim, Chris Pospisil spoke to the media outlet about his terrifying experience. “When it bit me, it didn’t hurt right away — I just felt pressure,” he explained. “I kicked it with my leg, and it let go.”
Daytona Beach News-Journal further reported at the time that seven people experienced a similar incident in Volusia County last year. This made the area the top place for shark bites worldwide.
The ISAF, which is dubbed the world’s only scientifically documented, comprehensive database of all known shark attacks, also revealed that half of the shark bites worldwide last year were related to “surfing/board sports.”