When a 14-year-old boy went to lifeguard training camp, he was there to hopefully learn how to save other people. But immediately after jumping into the water at the Volusia County Beach, in Florida, on July 8, he had to save himself.
When Dempsey Manhart landed in the water, he struck a shark, and shortly after the two made contact, the shark bit Manhart on the calf. The teenager emerged from the water with a story to tell.
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The shark bit Manhart in the right calf.
The attack took place at 11:15 a.m., a spokesperson on the beach confirmed reported People. The shark bit the boy in the right calf. Witnesses saw Manhart dive into the water and land on the shark.
"The boy was treated on scene and released to a custodian where he was taken POV to the hospital with non-life-threatening lacerations," the spokesperson continued.
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'I was like hitting it,' Manhart said, recounting the incident.
Manhart also shared his own account of the scary incident with Fox 35 Orlando.
"I hit it with my hands, and then I stood up, and it spun around and was like underneath my legs. And I think it bit me then when it was wrapped around my feet," he said. Initially, he thought he came in contact with another person. It was later that he realized what he’d just experienced.
"When it came under my feet, I was like hitting it, and then it swam away. Then that's when I saw the shark," said Manhart. Witnesses who saw the shark said it was 4 to 5 feet long.
Manhart is not scared of returning to the water.
The teen required 17 stitches. While such an incident might deter other kids from getting back in the water, Manhart returned to lifeguard training camp the next day. Though he can’t get back in the water yet, he’s excited to do so.
"I think that it's something really rare that can happen. And if it's happened once, I doubt it's going to happen again. So I don't think there's really anything to be scared of," said Manhart.
Manhart likely gets his bravery from his father.
The boy’s fearlessness probably comes from his father, who works as a deputy lifeguard and EMT. He has been saving people on Volusia County beaches for decades.
The odds of being bitten by a shark are indeed low, as Manhart stated — about 1 in 3.75 million, according to Business Insider. Still, Manhart is one of three people who’ve been bitten by sharks in the past week, Fox 35 Orlando reports.
