Teen Surfer Recovering After Shark Attack
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iStockphoto(MELBOURNE BEACH, Fla.) — A teenage surfer is recovering in a Florida hospital after a shark took a bite out of his leg on Saturday.
Michael Adler and four friends went surfing at Melbourne Beach on Saturday morning, an area known for its bull sharks.
The 16-year-old said he didn’t see the shark that bit him, he recalled the moment of terror when it sunk its razor-sharp teeth into his leg.
“His whole jaw just crammed down on my leg and right from there I kind of knew it was a shark attack,” he said. “So then I was paddling in as fast as I could.”
Adler’s friends said a man with military training raced to his aid, using his surf board leash as a tourniquet.
Doctors said because of the anonymous stranger’s quick-thinking, Adler was able to keep his foot and doctors were able to repair four tendons.
“The doctors told me that I was lucky that it didn’t hit like a major artery, cuz that would’ve been a lot more bleeding,” Adler said.
Adler later tweeted “I better be on Shark Week.”
The shark attack didn’t deter Adler’s friends, though. After dropping him off at the hospital they headed back to the beach.
When Adler recovers, he said he plans to do the same.
“I am definitely going to surf in the future,” he said. “I wish I could surf tomorrow.”
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio