Surfing Teen Survives Shark Encounter, Eyes Return to Waves After Injury

A 16-year-old competitive surfer, Teddy Wittemann, is recovering after an unexpected encounter with a shark left him momentarily incapacitated

Incident Overview

On a Friday like any other, the Floridana Beach teen, a proud member of the USA Surfing Junior Team, was out surfing with a friend when the incident occurred. After approximately 45 minutes to an hour of enjoying the waves, Wittemann caught a wave, fell off, and found himself in an unexpected predicament. “My board was collecting the board back, and then just out of nowhere it got me right here on the inside of my arm,” Wittmann recalled.

Encounter with a Bull Shark

Wittemann suspects that the predator was a bull shark. “It threw me back a little bit off balance,” he recounted. The shark attacked him, shaking and thrashing around his body and feet. Despite the traumatic experience, Wittemann managed to make his way to a neighboring house to seek help. Paramedics were called, and he was promptly transported to the hospital.

Miraculous Escape

Wittemann’s parents expressed their gratitude, acknowledging the situation could have been much worse had it not been for the intervening factors. Fortunately, doctors confirmed that there was no irreversible damage to Wittemann's arm - a stroke of luck that left his family in awe. Reflecting on the incident, Wittemann expressed his determination to return to surfing before the year ends. “But I’m really not in any rush to, you know, possibly hurt myself or kind of just do it wrong. And yeah, so just waiting. It’s going to take time, but, you know, I’ll be back,” he stated with resolve.