Shark attack survivor speaks out after he was bitten in both legs surfing
A surfer who was bitten by a shark off the coast of Northern California spoke out from his hospital bed, sharing details of how he freed himself to get back to shore safely.
James Eastman was in the water at Big River Beach inside Mendocino Headlands State Park just after 5 p.m. Wednesday when the attack occurred, according to California State Parks.
Eastman, 39, told ABC News he was going for a quick surf before picking up his 9-month-old up from day care.
"I could see the shark's head kind of above the water," Eastman recalled. "I thought of my wife and my kid and I was just like, I cannot die. I can't die right now."
He said he went into survival mode and tried to bat the shark on its nose to "free myself from it."
It did eventually swim away and Eastman was able to stay on his surfboard and paddle back to shore. Three off-duty lifeguards who were surfing nearby raced to help Eastman.
Eastman sustained injuries to both legs and was taken by ambulance to Adventist Hospital in Fort Bragg where his wife Chloe works as an emergency room nurse.
"I'm in the middle of work in the ER and I just like dropped to the ground like, 'What?'" she told ABC News. "It's my worst fear too -- that happening to him."
Although sharks are common in California, experts said encounters with humans are very rare.
John Ugoretz, pelagic fisheries and ecosystem program manager for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, told ABC News that there have only been 234 shark-related incidents in California since 1950.
"So while it's not unexpected, it is certainly not something that happens all the time," he said of this kind of attack.
Eastman said he's grateful for the support of the community and has already thought about getting back in the water.
"I love surfing so much and I would be very sad if I didn't surf again," he said. "As far as everything else is concerned, I was extremely lucky."
California Department of Wildlife officials told ABC News they have "collected DNA samples and will work to gather additional information to better understand the circumstances of the incident."
"While sharks are highly mobile and travel long distances quickly, it is possible it remains in the area," officials said.
California State Parks said nearby beaches posted signs to notify the public of a 48-hour beach closure.
"State Parks would like to remind visitors that sharks are an important part of the coastal ecosystem and that interactions between people and sharks are rare," the department stated.
