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Matthew Bender is recovering after being bitten by a shark while surfing at New Smyrna Beach, calling it a miracle that he still has full use of his hand. (Fox 35)
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A fisherman in a wealthy beach vacation hot spot became the object of nature’s wrath while wrestling with a shark he caught during the July Fourth weekend.
A 21-year-old man in Nantucket caught a common sandbar shark on Sunday and reeled it onto shore, according to the Nantucket Current. When he attempted to return the shark to the ocean, it bit him on the leg, causing a serious injury.
The unnamed victim was driven by friends to a local hospital, and later flown by Boston Medflight helicopter to a mainland hospital to be treated further for his injuries.
A view of Madaket Beach on April 25, 2020, in Nantucket, Massachusetts. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
FLORIDA SHARK ATTACKS SURFER, LATCHED ON ‘LIKE A BEAR TRAP’ IN WORLD’S BITE CAPITAL
As the summer beach season is in full effect nationwide, instances of shark bites are increasingly being reported.
On the same day as the Nantucket incident, a 40-year-old surfer named Matthew Bender of Winter Park, Florida, was attacked by a shark in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. Benton suffered a 10-inch bite that severed muscles, tendons and nerves, but survived the attack.
New Smyrna Beach is known as the “shark bite capital” of the United States, according to “Shark Week” host Forrest Galante, who recently spoke with Fox News Digital about summer safety tips for avoiding negative encounters with sharks.
A sandy path surrounded by greenery leads to a Nantucket Beach. (Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images)
‘SHARK WEEK’ HOST WARNS BEACHGOERS WHERE AND WHEN PREDATORS ARE MOST LIKELY TO ATTACK
On June 11, a 9-year-old girl snorkeling off the coast of Boca Grande, Florida, on the state’s Gulf Coast, sustained a gruesome shark bite that nearly severed her hand. Leah Lendel was rushed by helicopter to Tampa General Hospital, where she underwent a successful surgery involving artery grafts, bone reconstruction and nerve repair to save her hand.
Later in June, a beachgoer was injured in an attack on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, another popular tourist destination for summer getaways.
That incident “involved a patient with a leg injury consistent with lacerations typically associated with a shark bite,” according to Hilton Head Fire Rescue.
Galante warned that the ocean is a shark’s domain.
“Shark Week” host Forrest Galante warned swimmers about shark attacks. (iStock)
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“Now, a lot of people fear them, and they see them as mindless killing machines, but the truth is, these are just animals that sit at the top of the food chain,” he said. “And any time that we enter into the water, we’re entering into their domain. So, when there is a shark attack or a shark bite, that is simply because we have gone into a habitat where we as human beings don’t really belong, and we’re not the apex predator.”
Fox News’ Julia Bonavita contributed to this report.
Peter D’Abrosca joined Fox News Digital in 2025 after four years as a politics reporter at The Tennessee Star.
He grew up in Rhode Island and is a graduate of Elon University.
Follow Peter on X at @pmd_reports. Send story tips to peter.dabrosca@fox.com.
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