Mayo, Md. (WJZ) — Sharks do cruise the bay, but did one rear up and bite a man in the Rhode River? If so, Christopher Bowen is going to need a bigger paddle board.

Bowen was paddling into a beach Wednesday evening in the Anne Arundel County community of Mayo, Md., when he noticed something different about his leg.

"I jumped off the paddle board in about three feet of water," Bowen said. "As soon as I hit the water something hit my leg. I saw a tail splash, walked into shore and my leg was bleeding,"

A bite mark about the size of a softball is on Bowen's calf. The bite itself is a series of small puncture wounds.

"Actually it bled quite a bit," Bowen said. "They're pretty sharp teeth, made like a razor cut,"

Bowen performed his own first aid. He's not sure what bit him, but he has a theory.

"It could have been a small shark. I thought at first it could have been a catfish, but I know they don't have teeth that big," Bowen said.  "So we're waiting for DNR to figure it out with their biologist and we'll go from there,"

Bowen's experience hasn't put him off paddle boarding.

"I'll be out there tonight, on the paddle board," Bowen said. "What's the chance it's going to  happen twice?"

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