JACKSONVILLE, FL (WJXT/CNN) – Two shark attacks within minutes of each other on Friday in the waters off Fernandina Beach.
One of the victims, Dustin Theobald, was expected to be released Tuesday. Another person, who was bitten by a shark within minutes of Theobald, is also recovering.
An avid surfer who grew up in Fernandina Beach around the water, Theobald said he and his 8-year-old son were surfing Friday when he felt something bite into his right foot.
“It happened so fast, I think when he grabbed, I closed my eyes because the pressure was on there, and I just kind of swung down and palmed it,” he said.
From his hospital bed, with his foot bandaged up, Theobald relived the experience most people think of as their worst nightmare, and he did so with a sense of humor.
“Your adrenaline is pumping, everything’s going,” Theobald said. “I saw people I knew on the beach. Like, one of the lifeguards was my friend’s little sister, and she came over and said, ‘Hey, Dustin!’ and I was like, ‘Hey, how’s it going?’ And the humor was already there.”
What happened was no joke, though.
“My thought was ‘Shore. Get to shore.’ And I mean, I was in knee-deep water, so I was just hobbling out. You know, I got out on my own. I got to the edge of the water, and the lifeguard came and got me and the people that I was ushering in. As soon as they saw the blood coming off of my foot, they really got out of the water then,” he said.
Theobald said he’s most thankful that his son or anyone else wasn’t hurt, and what happened won’t keep him away from the ocean.
“As a parent to him and my son seeing all that, I have a duty to be a role model to him. You know, you fall off the horse, you’ve got to get back on,” he said.
Theobald won’t be able to work for several weeks, so a GoFundMe account has been set up to help him in the meantime.
Source: wafb.com
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