“Man, I felt like I stepped my foot on a light socket and it was this big shock,” 62-year-old surfing veteran Charley Hajek revealed. The 18-time East Coast National Champion was walking back to shore with his surfboard in hand when he met with a shark attack. In fact, the surfer had made it to knee-deep water when the shark caught him off guard.

Thankfully, Charley was lucky to escape with minor injuries. Although he had to spend some time in the hospital, the injury wasn’t too serious. Yet, not everyone is as lucky as the veteran surfer. Less than a month after Hejak’s encounter in late September, 16-year-old Teddy Wittemann met with a far worse fate. The Brevard County, Florida native nearly lost his arm.

Wittemann recounted the horrific details of the shark attack while speaking to WELSH2. “Just out of nowhere, it got the inside of my arm,” said the surfer. While he could feel the pain and bite force engulfing his left arm, the surfer didn’t understand exactly what was happening until he saw a 6-foot shark beside him. Despite the blinding pain, the 16-year-old somehow paddled to shore.

“They kind of held my arm up…” said the teenager as rescuers rushed the shark attack victim to emergency care. And while it’ll take the young surfing enthusiast a while to recover, he is already planning to get back in the water. Just like the 62-year-old champion surfer, Teddy Wittemann vowed to get back in the water as soon as he recovers, despite some worrying statistics.

The Florida Museum of Natural History maintains an International Shark Attack File, which verifies and records the stats of such incidents. According to the database, most attacks happen in the waters off the U.S. coasts. However, among all major surfing destinations, Florida was on top in 2023 with 16 unprovoked attacks; Double that of second-placed Hawaii with 8. It seems 2024 won’t fare much better.

The community faced a summer of shark attacks

Reports of surfers and swimmers getting attacked started as early as June. Florida immediately took the lead on June 7, when not one but three individuals had their dreaded shark encounters. The first person to fall victim was a 45-year-old woman who was enjoying her time in the waters near Watersound Beach in Panhandle, Florida. The shark bite caused severe trauma to the woman’s midsection.

The second attack caught two teenage girls off-guard just two hours after the 45-year-old’s ordeal. Two girls aged 15 and 17 were playing with their friends in knee-deep water when the shark attack took place. Both girls suffered flesh wounds, while one of them suffered serious injuries to her hands and legs. Yet, despite these incidents, the surfing spirit of Florida residents remains intact.

Getting bitten under similar circumstances as the teenagers, Charley Hejak made a bold statement. The 62-year-old who is already back to surfing the waves said, “Sharks are harmless. Well, until you step on one. Then you’re going to get lit up.” said Charley. Teddy Wittemann also made a similarly bold statement.

“I don’t want a little… well it’s not a little, I mean not a little bite, but a little hiccup to throw me off.” said the brave surfer. So it’s clear that while shark attacks off the shores of Florida are at an all-time high, it’s not going to stop adventurous souls from enjoying the sport.