BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – Some people surf their entire lives without being bitten by a shark, but for one Brevard County man it took only six months.
One day and 28 stitches in his left hand later, Michael Salinger, 21, spoke to News 6 about what it was like being attacked by an estimated 5 foot-long bull shark.
"It hit me like a truck," said Salinger. "It knocked me off my board. All I remember was the impact. I remember this immense pressure onto my hand, but the thing I remember the most is the impact -- the way it hit me -- it was unbelievable."
Salinger was surfing off Playalinda Beach in Brevard County Wednesday.
The waves are much larger than normal for this time of year, but those waves are bringing mullet closer to shore, creating a feeding ground for sharks.
"I'm panicking, I'm freaking out," said Salinger. "I see this big, gray 5-foot shark staring me down, right next to me. He takes off and I hop back on my board and start paddling in."
Running down the beach, left hand covered in blood, Salinger found help -- a man named Scotty Burns -- who put pressure on the wound.
Another woman, an EMT from Alaska, helped calm Salinger down until paramedics would get to the beach.
"I'm sure (the shark) was swimming along, heard splashing on the surface, saw my hand dip into the water and just decided to take a bite, you know, have a taste," said Salinger.
Salinger, who hopes to be a Marine one day, says despite the attack, he plans on getting back into the water when he's fully recovered.
While he'll probably never see the shark again, it did leave him a parting gift.
"The shark may have bitten my bone and chipped a piece of tooth off," said Salinger. "So there still may be a little piece of him in there."