JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A local man is recovering this evening after being bitten by a shark. It happened while he was surfing at Jacksonville Beach.
RJ Berger said he saw his friend Frank O’Rourke get bit by a shark while surfing on Saturday afternoon.
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Video from Surfline's Jacksonville Beach Pier cams show a surfer splashing and thrashing near shore before quickly heading to the beach and checking himself where he was presumably bitten.
Ocearch's shark tracker showed several tiger sharks off the coast of Jacksonville Saturday.
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“This shark pretty much came fully out of the water his tail like splashed everywhere,” Berger said.
Berger was surfing in the water right next to him when it happened he said the attack happened so fast but it was still frightening to watch.
“He was saying I think I got bit, I think I got bit. I was like you think you got bit dude you fully got bit,” Berger said.
He said as soon as it happened O’Rourke paddled back to shore and he quickly noticed the damage the shark had done.
“Once he got to the beach he just started bleeding everywhere blood started rushing to his arm,” Berger said.
That’s when Berger alerted the lifeguards who helped clean the wound. Berger said O’Rourke refused to go to the hospital because his injuries weren’t severe. They were both just thankful the damage wasn’t worse and that no one else was injured.
It’s scary but I’m still going to surf Frank is too.
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Cox Media Group
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