Charley Hajek, 62, known as "Gnarly Charley," was surfing in the foamy waves off New Smyrna Beach on September 22 when he came face to face with a bull shark.
"I stepped off my board, and I landed right on a shark," the man told South West News Service. "As soon as I stepped on it, we both freaked out."
The storm-chasing sexagenarian felt something "clamp down on my ankle and foot" and immediately recognised it as an apex predator.

"My whole foot was in its mouth for maybe a second, and then it let me go," he added.

“It didn’t thrash or wiggle, just bit and let go. Like a warning: don’t mess with me.”


The old daredevil, overjoyed to be alive, soon went back to shore, where his leg began to bleed.


"As soon as I got to the beach and took that first step, the blood started squirting out. That’s when I knew it was bad," he continued.

"I wrapped my surfboard leash around my leg as a tourniquet and drove myself to the hospital."

 

Old man returns to the shore

He had ten stitches and was back in the water by September 27, the day after Hurricane Helene caused tremendous waves off Florida's coast.


"I barely had my stitches out, and I'm chasing a hurricane," he stated. "How crazy is that? "Makes a good story."
Hajek then rode the waves from October 11 to 13, following Hurricane Milton's storm surge, he explained.


"I saw tornadoes spawn right behind the house I was staying at in Jensen Beach, coconuts falling from the trees onto the roof," he claimed. "It was kind of scary, man."
He has subsequently encountered 11 sharks and concluded that surfing on the inside of a jetty is the most risky.

"Sharks are pretty harmless. But again, I stepped on it, so I got bit. But when you go in the shark pit, that’s way gnarly," he explained.

Ultimately, he stated that his idea is to respect the ocean and mother nature.

"Emotionally, I had to put the shark attack behind me. I love chasing storms. Wherever the storm goes, I go," he expressed.

"All you have to do is respect the water, sharks, and hurricanes. Be prepared, not scared."