Surfer survives shark attack in Florida by 'biting back'
A surfer has described how survived a shark attack in Florida - by 'biting' the animal back with his hands.
Speaking from hospital, Bobby Baughman said he was surfing off Florida's Cocoa Beach when he felt the shark clamp down on his foot.
Baughman said his first reaction was: "What the heck was that?" It just locked down really hard like a crab would, but it had my whole foot," he added.
He told Florida Today that his first instinct was to go limp, but the shark then started shaking him and his fighting instinct kicked in.
According to news.com.au, he said: "I was just scared and needed to get this thing off me so I grabbed him up around the snout and just squeezed as hard as I could ... basically bite him back with my hands."
The shark, he added, gave one final shake and then let go.
Mr Boughman said he works on a fishing boat and has experience with sharks. He said his one was four to six feet long, weighing 80 to 125lbs.
He told Florida Today: "It was one of the bigger, huskier ones like a bull shark or a lemon shark. It was as big as me."
Mr Broughman managed to ride the next wave back to shore after the shark let go, and was met by lifeguards on the beach.
He was taken to hospital, where he will need surgery on his foot, which had a shark tooth lodged in it.
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