A Florida surfer has kept his cool after being bitten by a shark and is surprisingly eager to get back in the water.
Charley Hajek, 62, also known as ‘Gnarly Charlie,’ was surfing the waves at New Smyrna Beach on Sunday morning when a bull shark attacked the unsuspecting pro.
He was on day 148 of his non-stop surfing marathon when he realized a shark had bitten his left leg. Hajek reacted quickly and used an innovative technique to stop himself from bleeding out: he used his surfboard leash as a tourniquet.
He said The Daytona Beach News Journal:It was so fast and the thrust was so powerful that when I was in his mouth for that split second, he bit me and let go.
‘I jumped on my board and the shark must have been really scared.’
Charley Hajek, 62, was bitten by a bull shark Sunday morning in New Smyrna Beach
‘Gnarly Charley’ kept a cheerful attitude after being bitten
His initial reaction to being bitten was, “Oh my God, I was so lucky, I got hit or something.” When he stood up, his leg started bleeding.
In a lively interview with USHajek spoke vividly of his reaction: “When I thought twice, just! He bit me.”
“Man, I felt like I stepped on a light socket,” he added. “It was pretty disgusting.”
He grabbed the surfboard leash and wrapped it around his leg as he drove to the hospital, where he received eight stitches.
Hajek smiled for a selfie before heading to the hospital to receive stitches.
Hajek said he didn’t realize how serious the bite was until he got out of the water.
He even posted about the attack on his Facebook page before driving to the hospital, making fun of the situation.
Hajek’s light-hearted account is misleading, as this shark attack could easily have been more serious.
The shark only grazed Hajek’s Achilles tendon by half an inch.
This is the thick tendon that connects the muscles between the calf and the heel. Injuries to the Achilles tendon can be extremely painful and make physical activities, such as surfing, difficult or impossible.
Hajek made a Facebook post documenting the incident before driving to the hospital, demonstrating his relaxed demeanor.
He told the Daytona Beach News-Journal: “Thank God it didn’t bite my Achilles.”
But there are no hard feelings between Gnarly Charlie and the bull shark, whom the surfer named Henry as a gesture of friendship.
At the hospital he was advised to take six to eight days off from surfing, but he only plans to take three or four days off, he said. Cable TV.
Hajek began his surfing career in 1970 in Daytona Beach, according to a biography posted on the Gnarly Charlie Surf Series website.
The 62-year-old professional surfer was on day 148 of a surfing streak when the bull shark attacked
Hajek only plans to wait three or four days before returning to the water, despite being told to wait six to eight days.
The professional surfer teaches classes and organizes competitions and surf camps.
He won the title of champion in 20 different surfing competitions between 1999 and 2023.
In all his years of surfing, he had never been bitten by a shark before.
He has witnessed other surfers get bitten at New Smyrna Beach, which he calls “Shark Park,” but never considered that he might be attacked.
Hajek told WFTV: “I’m just cruising through life. I have no worries in the world. I have no responsibilities. This is it!”