Earlier this week, a man’s face was bitten by a shark after he fell off his surfboard near New Smyrna Beach.
Mark Sumersett, a 38-year-old from South Carolina, was in town to ride the sqwells from Hurricane Lee. He survived the attack and was in good shape Wednesday.
Most surfers in the area of the attack are familiar with the high number of sharks. New Smyrna Beach is known as the capital of shark bites.
However, the injuries usually are hand and feet related. A bite to the face is a pretty rare occurrence.
“Nine out of 10 times it’s because they’ll fall in the shallow water and they’ll spook the shark and it’s a reaction bite,” said local surfer Ron Robinson.