A surfer swam into a nasty surprise on the waves when a shark leaped out of the water and headbutted him.
According to a report by WFTV, the incident occurred on a Friday evening off Smyrna Beach in Florida last month. Darren Kaye was surfing the inlet when a spinner shark left the water and hit him in the face. A bystander caught the bizarre encounter on camera, and Kaye posted the footage on Instagram.
He captioned the video, saying, “Was able to find the footage of the spinner shark knocking me off my surfboard on Friday evening happy hour! Came out of nowhere and hit me like a truck. His nose slammed me right in the face, his pectoral fin bruised my left bicep, and got slammed right off my lost ’96 RNF redux. Just another day at the inlet! 🦈🦈🦈🦈”
Many commenters say they are glad the surfer is alright, and some poke fun at the bizarre encounter. One user replied, “Oh my god! That’s so cool 😂 (since you’re ok).” Another claims they got hit by a shark, and the force was so severe that they thought they had a broken arm.
The Surfer Said The Shark Impact Was Like Getting Hit By A Car
Kaye told WFTV, “Kind of ironic, right? So you’re riding a fish, and the shark tries to get your fish.” He also reportedly said he was glad the shark didn’t have its mouth open at the time.
The surfer says sharks aren’t uncommon, and he’s even been close to some bite victims. However, his encounter with a flying spinner shark is far more unusual. Kaye claims he’s been bitten by a shark and hit by a car before. The shark impact felt similar to the latter. He told the outlet, “I have a scar on the side of my elbow from that and that’s like what it felt like. It felt like getting hit by a car. It was really strong and powerful. They’re all muscle, you know.”
Spinner sharks are reportedly common on Smyrna Beach, as are Black Tip sharks. Surfers are most wary of Bull sharks, which also roam the area and are larger.