JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. – A shark bit a Jacksonville Beach professional surfer's elbow, leaving him bloody and with deep teeth marks.
**Photo of shark bite pictured below. Viewer discretion is advised.**
Surfer Frank O'Rourke was out near the pier at about 3:30 p.m. Saturday when the shark latched onto his arm, knocking him off his board, according to News 6 sister station WJXT.
O'Rourke can be seen on video struggling with the shark.
O'Rourke's friend, RJ Berger, was right there when it happened.
"It was kind of panic, like, 'Did that just happen?'" Berger said. "It kind of took him a couple seconds to, like, gather himself and realize, like, 'Wow, I just got bit by a shark,' and then we all went into the beach."
Berger guesses it was a 3- to 4-foot spinner or blacktip shark. He said O'Rourke will be OK. In fact, he was eager to show off his arm.
"He immediately went to a bar 'cause he was like, 'I got bit by a shark,' and people were like, 'I'll buy you drinks.' So he went and hung out at the pier," Berger said.
O'Rourke is 23 years old and is a competitive surfer. He chose not to go to the hospital, but his friend told News4Jax he thinks O'Rourke could have afforded a stitch or two.