A teenager faced a terrifying experience when he was bitten by a shark at a local Florida beach. Dempsey Manhart, 14, was attending a junior lifeguard training camp at a Volusia County beach when he was attacked by a shark in Ponce Inlet on Monday, July 8, according to the local Fox affiliate. WOFL.
The incident occurred around 11:15 a.m. local time, a Volusia County Beach Safety Ocean Rescue spokesperson confirmed. PEOPLEThe spokesman said Manhart, of Flagler County, was “entering the water when he was bitten on the right calf.” Witnesses reported that “he was diving into the water when he landed on the shark,” resulting in the bite.
“The child was treated at the scene and released to a custodian who took him to the hospital in a private vehicle with non-life-threatening lacerations,” the spokesperson added. Manhart recounted the harrowing event to WOFLinitially thinking he had collided with another person in the water. “I dove in and hit the shark. I hit it with my hands and then I got up, and it turned around and was under my legs.
“And I think it bit me when it was wrapped around my feet,” he explained. “When it went under my feet, I hit it and then it swam away.” Witnesses described the shark as being four to five feet long, according to CBS affiliate WKMGThe bite on Manhart’s calf required 17 stitches. Despite the terrifying encounter, the teen is undeterred. “If it happened once, I doubt it will happen again. So, I don’t think there’s anything to be afraid of,” Manhart told WOFL.
The Volusia County Junior Lifeguard Program, which began in 1990, focuses on “water safety education, lifesaving techniques and beach ecology,” with the goal of providing participants with the skills necessary to become safe and effective lifeguards, as stated on the program’s website.
