NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, S.C., June 22 (UPI) -- A 42-year-old man from Delaware was taken to the hospital Tuesday after he says a shark bit him while he was swimming off North Myrtle Beach, S.C.
The unidentified man sustained foot injuries after being attacked by what he identified as being a 3- to 5-foot-long shark.
He was floating on his back in the ocean when he felt a tug on his foot, then felt his foot taken into the shark's mouth, Pat Dowling, North Myrtle Beach spokesman, said.
The swimmer was able to shake his foot loose before making it to shore. There were puncture wounds on his foot and he was bleeding, Dowling said.
Eyewitness John Williford, of Roxboro, N.C., said he was sitting on the beach when he heard the man yell, then saw him "jump and stagger a little bit" as he came in from the water, The State newspaper reported.
He then rushed to help him along with a lifeguard.
Williford said the man had "several lacerations on both sides of his foot and on his toe."
He added: "In the past two years, there has been a lot of shark bites and sightings through the area up and down the east coast here.
"I'm just telling my kids they need to be careful out on the beach, and if they go in the water, don't go out too far and just be aware of your surroundings. We're swimming in the shark's dinner plate so just be careful."
