JAWS OF DEATH

Surf Instructor Yanked Off Board in Shark Attack

Sam Hollis, 18, says he can’t wait to get back in the water after the terrifying encounter.

An 18-year-old surf instructor has recounted his terrifying experience of a shark attack that left him hospitalized. Sam Hollis said he was surfing off New Smyrna Beach, a stretch of Florida coast known as the “Shark Bite Capital of the World,” when he felt the deadly predator sink its teeth into his back foot. “[It] yanked me off my board and was like, ‘Yeah, I’m having you for a little snack, man,’” Hollis told WESH. He said he was quick to fight back, adding, “I was like having none of that, so I kicked it,” which knocked the shark back just long enough for the instructor to swim away to safety. “So this is what it feels like,” he said he remembered thinking. “I was like, this was what feeling attacked by a shark feels like.” Despite the horrifying ordeal, which left him with a flesh wound, Hollis said he nevertheless can’t wait to get back in the water. “That’s the first thing I want,” he said, “because I think it’s important not let something like this dictate doing things that you love.”