A 14-year-old boy is recovering after he was bitten by a shark while attending junior lifeguard camp in Florida.
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The teen landed on the fish while diving into the water at Ponce Inlet in Volusia County around 11:15 a.m. on Monday, July 8. Aaron Jenkins, the deputy chief of Volusia County Beach Safety, confirmed the incident.
Witnesses revealed the fish was a blacktip, which is common in the area, according to Jenkins.
Jenkins further revealed that the shark bit the teen in the right calf. He was taken to a nearby hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Jenkins also stated that two other people were attacked by sharks in Volusia County last week. One of the victims, Connor Baker, opened up to ABC News about the attack.
“Felt like my foot was being stabbed,” Baker explained. “Tried as fast as I could to just get to shore.”
Jenkins explained that Baker’s injuries were not life-threatening. He said a 26-year-old man from Sarasota, Florida was bitten on the foot as well. He had been wading in an inner tube in five feet of water when the shark encounter occurred. His injuries were also deemed non-life-threatening.
The latest shark attacks occurred one month after three people were injured in two different shark attacks off neighboring Florida beaches, Walton County’s Watersound Beach and Seacrest Beach.
The first attack involved a 45-year-old woman at a sandbar near Watersound Beach. Two girls, 15 and 17 years old, were attacked near a sandbar at Seacrest Beach.
Teen Shares Details About His Terrifying Shark Encounter During Junior Lifeguard Camp
The teen, identified as Dempsey Manhart, spoke to Fox 35 about the shark incident on Monday.
“I dove onto it, and I hit the shark,” explained Manhart. “I hit it with my hands, and then I stood up, and it spun around and was like underneath my legs. And I think it bit me then when it was wrapped around my feet.”
Manhart pointed out that he originally thought he landed on another person, only to quickly realize it was a large fish. “When it came under my feet, I was like hitting it, and then it swam away. Then that’s when I saw the shark,” he said.
Despite the attack, Manhart stated he was not afraid of the ocean. “Because I think that it’s something really rare that can happen,” he added. “And if it’s happened once, I doubt it’s going to happen again. So I don’t think there’s really anything to be scared of.”
Manhart’s father has been a deputy, lifeguard, and EMT. He has been rescuing people at Volusia County beaches for decades.