A legendary Florida surfer kept cool after being bitten by a shark he accidentally stepped on, successfully patching his injury up and driving himself to the hospital.
Surfing Champion Charley Hajek, 62, better known as "Gnarly Charley," was on a 148-day surfing streak in Cocoa Beach when catastrophe unfolded in the water.
Despite surfing for over 50 years, this was the first time Hajek had ever been bitten by a shark.
"By the time I even thought twice about it, it just 'bam!' It lit me up man," Hajek told ABC Fort Wayne. "Felt like I stuck my foot on a light socket."
Instead of panicking, Hajek stayed composed and quickly swam to shore. Once out of the water, he used the surfboard's leash as a tourniquet to prevent his leg from bleeding out and then drove himself to the hospital.
"I take that first step on the beach, and all those little teeth, you could see them," he told the outlet. "Those are perfect little slices of my leg everywhere, and it just opened up like a flower and blew blood out everywhere. Man, it was so gnarly."
Despite the doctor ordering Hajek to take a surfing hiatus for about a week, he told ABC Orlando he was eager to get back on the water in "three to four" days.
"I'm anxious to get back out there," the longtime surfer said.
Hajek received stitches for two shark bites located on his left foot and left ankle.
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