A shark latched onto an American surfer's arm "like a bear trap" in a notorious beach commonly regarded as the "shark bite capital of the world".
Florida man, Matthew Bender, 40, felt the shark latch onto his arm "out of nowhere", when he was surfing at the popular, but infamously shark-prone water of New Smyrna Beach on Sunday.
Volusia County Beach Safety confirmed that the shark had latched onto his arm.
Bender spoke to WOFL-TV from his hospital bed, saying "by the time I looked down, it was already gone".
"I never saw the shark, but it bit really forcefully," he added.
"It felt like electricity - pressure, extreme pressure - and then I think it shook its head as it let go."
Bender said it all happened "so fast".
Despite suffering what later measured as a 10 inch-long bite, Bender stayed conscious before beachgoers rushed to his aid.
Matthew Bender has remained positive despite the shark attack
From there, Bender asked for a board leash, usually attaching a board to a surfer's ankle, in a bid to create a makeshift tourniquet.
"I was squeezing the whole mangled area myself with my left hand," he recalled.
At the same time, those helping were pulling the tourniquet just above his elbow to stop the bleeding.
Footage from the scene showed beachgoers surrounding Bender immediately after the bite.
Video showed beachgoers assisting Bender directly after the attack
Lifeguards attended the scene moments later and Bender was taken to hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery to reconnect severed muscles, tendons and nerves.
Miraculously, Bender said he was able to move his hand right after the attack.
"When I looked down, my arm was completely mangled," Bender said.
"It’s a miracle my hand was still working."
Even despite the setback, Bender has remained positive in spite of an attack which will leave a permanent scar.
"I don’t know if it'll be the cool ones that chicks dig," he said.
"But it might be ugly."
Doctors have forecasted Bender to make a full recovery in a matter of months.
He thanked God from keeping the attack "from being serious" and giving him the opportunity to get back into the water.
"He works in mysterious ways," Bender said.
"I got to take a little break, but I’ll be back out there."
"I’m a New Smyrna surfer at heart, and it’s not going to end now just because of this."