A professional surfer bitten by a shark off the coast of Florida went to a bar instead of the hospital to show off his injuries and get free drinks.
Dramatic footage shows Frank O’Rourke, 23, thrashing in the water after he was knocked off of his board and attacked while out at Jacksonville Beach on Saturday.
The incident left a bloody gash on his arm, with visible deep teeth marks, after he was forced to fight off the shark and Frank says he is ‘lucky to still have an arm’.
But instead of seeking medical help O’Rourke opted to show off his injuries at a local bar, his friend told News4Jax.
Eyewitness RJ Berger said: ‘It was kind of panic, like, “Did that just happen?”
‘It kind of took him a couple seconds to, like, gather himself and realize, like, “Wow, I just got bit by a shark,” and then we all went into the beach.
‘He immediately went to a bar ’cause he was like, “I got bit by a shark” and people were like, “I’ll buy you drinks”. So he went and hung out at the pier.’
Frank O’Rourke was attacked while at Jacksonville Beach on Saturday afternoon. The incident left a bloody gash, pictured, and Frank says he is ‘lucky to still have an arm’
Professional surfer Frank O’Rourke, pictured, went to a bar instead of the hospital to show off his injuries and get free drinks after being bitten by the shark
Dramatic footage shows O’Rourke thrashing in the water after he was knocked off of his board
The shark, believed to be a three to foot foot spinner or blacktip shark, latched onto O’Rourke’s arm around 20 yards from the pier on Saturday afternoon.
It swam away after thrashing next to the surfer for around 30 seconds.
O’Rourke, who was treated with bandages by lifeguards at the scene, told WJXX: ‘Craziest thing to have happened to me in my life.
‘I felt something jump out of the water and latch onto my arm by my elbow. It just grabbed onto me and thrashed in the water and swam away.
‘I’m very lucky that I still have an arm. You can see the jawline, like where the jawline is of the shark. There’s still blood on my surfboard.’
O’Rourke, pictured after the attack still holding his board, says it is the first time he has ever been bitten by a shark after surfing in the area for two decades
The shark, believed to be a three to foot foot spinner or blacktip shark, latched onto O’Rourke’s arm around 20 yards from the pier on Saturday afternoon. He says it’s the ‘craziest thing to have happened to me in my life’
Eyewitness RJ Berger said instead of seeking medical help O’Rourke went to a local bar
‘He immediately went to a bar ’cause he was like, “I got bit by a shark” and people were like, “I’ll buy you drinks”. So he went and hung out at the pier’, Berger says. The pier is pictured
O’Rourke says it is the first time he has ever been bitten by a shark after surfing in the area for two decades.
He added: ‘They’re usually swimming and doing their own thing. This shark just came out of nowhere. It just came out of the water and grabbed me like it wanted me.
‘If it’s your time, it’s your time. If the [sharks] want you, they want you. You’re more likely to get struck by lightning than killed by a shark. I’m going to buy a lottery ticket.’
Berger, who saw the whole thing take place, added: ‘He was right there behind the wave and boom, that’s when he got hit.
‘It’s inevitable, it’s going to happen. It’s happened to a couple of my friends. It doesn’t bother you, but I mean, if it’s gonna happen, it’s gonna happen.
‘There’s nothing much you can do to really stop that, so try not to worry about it.’