A teenage boy is incredibly lucky to be alive this week. Nick Arthur, 16, is recovering after being attacked by a shark last Thursday. Nick was with his family in the Outer Banks, North Carolina. Nick was jumping over waves with his sister about 25 feet offshore when a shark latched onto his leg and wouldn't let go.
Luckily, his father heard his screams and dove into the ocean to save him. Nick was trying desperately to pry the shark off himself. He was punching it and trying to break free, to no avail. His father swam over. He punched and kicked the shark repeatedly. Finally, he hit the shark hard in the nose, and it released its grasp on his son's leg.
Nick recounted the terrifying story in an interview with ABC. "The pressure was so intense," he said of the shark's bite. "I was trying to pry its mouth open," he recalled.
Amazingly, the teen was in good spirits during the interview! He said, with a smile, "I tried lifting my leg up out of the water and I saw, oh my god, it's a 5-foot-long shark attached to my leg." It sounds like an absolutely frightening ordeal that could've even been fatal. Luckily, his father was there to come to his rescue.
Nick's father said his daughter swam to shore while he and his son fought the shark. The dad swam over and started kicking and punching the shark to get it off. "I don't think we did anything special," he told Fox8 News. "But it was enough to maybe make him realize there was easier prey out there."
Finally, the shark let go of Nick's leg after a hard punch in the nose. While Nick's leg is covered in bite marks, he's otherwise in good condition. In multiple interviews, he seemed upbeat while telling the frightening tale in which his father is the hero.
The teenager suffered non-life-threatening injuries and required 17 stitches. He's now on his way to a full recovery, but shark attacks are no joke. He will have to live with that truly terrifying experience for the rest of his life.
Nick was released from the hospital the very same night. He's using crutches to get around. He definitely has quite the story to tell. Actually, the shark's bite marks tell the story. Nick has more than 40 teeth marks on his body.
The incident is totally terrifying to hear about. But shark attacks don't happen often. And right now, incidents like this involving sharks are at their lowest levels since 2005. There have only been 18 worldwide since the beginning of January. Experts say that has to do with fewer people than usual being in the ocean due to the pandemic.
While you'd think Nick and his family would be headed home from vacation, they're actually still in North Carolina. They plan to stay for a few more days. It seems like they aren't letting a little old shark attack ruin their vacation.
While everyone is doing just fine now, Nick's father says they will probably be a bit more careful in the future. "You always think it's not going to be you," he said, adding that the family will probably stay a little closer to shore when swimming in the ocean.
Nick also had a warning for others. He said you should always keep your guard up when swimming in the ocean, even if you think it could never happen to you. He said even though there's only a small chance you could get bit by a shark, "there's still a possibility."
