14-year-old Florida shark attack victim says there's nothing to be afraid of following 'really rare' incident
Dempsey Manhart, a lifeguard trainee who was bitten by a shark in Ponce Inlet, Florida, speaks out on the incident. (Credit: WOFL)
A Missouri teen is recovering after being bitten by a shark in Florida on Wednesday, the fourth reported shark bite in the area in just six days.
The 14-year-old was in knee-deep water in Daytona Beach Shores when a shark bit him on the foot, WSVN-TV reported.
The teen was taken to a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries, WFTV reported.
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Florida, specifically Volusia County, is known as the shark capital of the world. (Jesus Olarte/AFP via Getty Images, File)
The first of the recent shark bites happened on July 4 while a 21-year-old from Ohio was playing football in knee-deep water at New Smyrna Beach. The shark bit him on his right foot. He suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to the hospital for treatment.
A day later, a shark bit a 26-year-old man from Sarasota on his left foot at New Smyrna Beach while on an inner tube in about five feet of water, according to officials.
On Monday morning, a shark bit 14-year-old Dempsey Manhart in the right calf during a lifeguard training camp at Ponce Inlet in Volusia County. According to witnesses, the shark was a 4- to 5-foot Black Tip, which is common to the beaches in the area.
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"I dove onto it, and I hit the shark," Manhart told Fox 35 Orlando. "I hit it with my hands, and then I stood up, and it spun around and was like underneath my legs. And I think it bit me then when it was wrapped around my feet."
Dempsey Manhart sits on a chair after being bitten on the heel by a shark in Ponce Inlet, Florida, Monday, July 8, 2024. (Obtained by Fox News)
The teen needed 17 stitches for his injury.
Volusia County is the shark capital of the world, according to a report from the Florida Museum of Natural History's International Shark Attack file.
Since 1882, Volusia County has had more than 350 shark attacks, including 16 incidents in 2023.
Fox News’ Greg Norman contributed to this report.
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