(WSVN) - A Central Florida teenager is showing off his battle scars after surviving a close encounter with a shark.
“I got wiped out by a wave, and when I tried paddling back out I stuck my hand in the water, and I felt the teeth of the shark in my hand,” said Daniel Rice, recalling the incident.
That’s when the 18-year-old surfer saw his hand. “When I looked at it, I got really scared how deep it was,” said Rice. “I was like, this is the real deal. I had to really get out.”
Other surfers then rushed to help the teen, after his calls for help reached the shore.
“Like, I just swam in,” said a witness, Steven Hammond. “The guy started panicking, so we put him back on his board, pushed him in, got him on shore and called 911.”
Officials said it happened at Melbourne Beach. Once the teen was pulled from the water, he was rushed to the hospital.
“I can still feel the pain,” said Rice, who is now recovering at home.
Despite the injury, the surfer said this incident won’t stop him from getting in the water again. “I may have a bit of hesitation, but I’ll ease my way back in.”
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