Teen surfer describes shark bite from hospital bed, vows return to water

By David Jones

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    NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Florida (WESH) — A young surfer says he is lucky he still has his foot after a scary encounter with a shark off the coast of New Smyrna Beach on Friday.

Sam Hollis, 18, said it was a normal day of surf instructing. He was on the water, when a big wave washed over and he went off his board.

He got back on the board, letting his feet hang in the water.

Hollis said he didn’t see the shark approaching.

“[It] 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,'” he told WESH 2 from his hospital bed.

“I was having none of that, so I kicked it.”

The power of his kick was enough to propel the shark away, but not before it got a bite in on his foot.

He was still able to swim away.

“I was like, ‘this is what feeling attacked by a shark feels like,'” Hollis said.

Hollis was taken to the hospital, where he’s recovering from what doctors described to him as a flesh wound.

He said, even knowing the risks, surfing still calls to him.

“It’s like being out there in your happy place on the water, it’s very peaceful,” Hollis said.

“There’s no reason to stop doing something you love just cause something bad happened to you.”

The surf instructor said that the shark bite won’t keep him away from going back on the water.

“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,” he said.

Hollis expects to be released from the hospital on Sunday and said he will need crutches or a mobility scooter while the healing continues.

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