Teen surfer attacked by shark 60 feet off Kismet Beach on Fire Island
NEW YORK -- A teenage surfer is recovering after being bitten by a shark off Fire Island.
The incident followed a series of attacks this month on Long Island beaches.
CBS2's John Dias spoke with that teen's father on Thursday.
Like most living on Long Island, the teenager and his parents heard about the previous shark attacks, like the one at Jones Beach, but didn't think it could happen to them. They said the teen was in the water for just 20 minutes and, luckily, the shark didn't pull him off his surfboard.
"I could see blood coming from his foot and things got real serious, real quick," Mike Haynes said.
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It was a jaw-dropping moment Haynes will never forget. His 16-year-old son, Max, an experienced surfer and Jones Beach junior lifeguard, kicked his way to shore on his surf board after being attacked by a shark about 60 feet off Kismet Beach early Wednesday night.
"I felt on my foot like a bear trap just get me from below, and it's, like, hard. It felt like it broke my foot, and then I was struggling, and then it just let go," Max Haynes told CBS2's Jennifer McLogan.
Max and a friend were splashing around on their surfboards, pretending sharks were looming.
"Thirty seconds later, I actually get, like, chomped on," Max said.
Suddenly, it was the real thing.
"He didn't believe me at first. I told him, like, 'James, I just got bit by a shark. We've got to get out of the water,'" Max said.
He had proof.
"I have a few puncture wounds on the left side, and on the right, there's a good sized gash underneath my toe," he said.
"When he came in, he was doing the international sign for shark in the water. His friend thought he was teasing because of all the activity," Mike Haynes said.
But the group quickly realized it was far from a laughing matter. The teen was bitten badly on his foot. His dad, a certified EMT, sprung into action.
"You kind of slow your brain down and process of what's going on to see the severity of situation," Haynes said. "I wanted to see how the bleed was, and thank God it wasn't an arterial bleed. It was something we could control."
READ MORE: More sharks spotted near local beaches, officials say
A picture shows Max's mother and a family friend carrying him off the beach and eventually to the hospital. It was the same beach the teen has been surfing off for years.
"His feet were dangling in the water, and it came up from beneath," Haynes said. "I think the shark came up, took a bite and realized it wasn't food and moved on. It locked on him for a few seconds. He said he could feel the weight of it on him."
Watch John Dias' report
That's exactly what experts say has been happening. Max is the fifth person in the area to be bit by a shark this summer, with a sixth possible at Jones Beach in June. Two have been lifeguards, two surfers and a tourist visiting Fire Island.
"These people are probably just in or near the food source, and these sharks are very used to bumping into large things trying to get their food," said Greg Metzger, of the South Fork Natural History Museum and Nature Center.
READ MORE: Shark sightings continue across area beaches as crowds look for ways to cool off
"Sharks don't have hands to feel with. They get their tactile information by mouthing something. We're kind of bony and not a really good meal," said Joseph Yaiullo, curator of the Long Island Aquarium.
Experts keep reiterating that all these shark sightings are signs that marine conservation efforts are working.
Video taken at Beach 121st Street in the Rockaways on Wednesday shows a possible shark spinning out of the water while a father teaches his son to surf, cutting the lesson short.
"Any time you see an apex predator, top predators, doing well, that means the entire food chain is in place to support them," Yaiullo said.
Residents in Quoge, which is 40 miles from Kismet, found a dead juvenile great white shark, about 8 feet long on the beach, on Wednesday morning.
Experts say more than 300 white sharks live between Manhattan and Montauk, and it's up to us humans to learn how to be safe in their waters.
As for Max, his dad says this won't scare him away.
"Never keep it from going back in the water and doing what he loves," Mike Haynes said.
Max and his family say they are dedicated to respecting the ocean, the shark's natural home.
"You've just got to find a way to cohabitate with each other," Mike Haynes said.
"I think I'm very lucky with the outcome. It gives me a cool story," Max said.
"I'm very grateful that the story will outlast the injury," Mike Haynes said.
Max's dad said once his son gets cleared by his doctors, of course he will head back in, adding he is a very experienced surfer. He even teaches surfing classes, so, really, this can happen to anyone.
