A shark attack victim who had a piece of her leg bitten off last month while Boogie Boarding off Florida's Melbourne Beach in Brevard County described how she felt a bump, then the bite, and then "something big" swimming away.
The 38-year-old mother of six, Amy Tatsch, who was only recently released from the hospital following two weeks of surgeries,
told Orlando's WKMG-TV Local 6 News that the attack occurred near Ponce de Leon Park during a family beach trip on May 15.
The seven foot Bull shark attacked Tatsch as she was in the midst of catching a wave while swimming with her brother, leaving her with an 11-inch scar.
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"We caught a couple of waves. He caught one and I drifted down a little farther with the current so I was a little farther away and the next wave that was coming up, I was ready," Tatsch told WKMG-TV. "I kicked off with my right leg to give me some momentum to ride in and that's when I got bumped."
"It was a really hard bump and then seconds after I felt my leg being torn and then I felt the motion of something big swimming away," Tatsch added.
According to WKMG-TV, the beach where Tatsch was swimming was not monitored by lifeguards, leaving it up to her brother, and a few waves, to help her get back to shore.
Despite the traumatic incident, the mother of six says it won't deter her from going back to the beach, telling WKMG-TV that she plans to get back in the water as soon as she's healed.
"I never had the thought in my mind, never had the fear when I was out there, I love sharks, I've always loved sharks, and I'm still going to South Africa someday to go swim with the Great Whites," a smiling Tatsch added.
On average there are just over 100 sharks attacks on humans annually; in comparison as many as 100 million sharks are killed by people each year,
reported Mother Jones.
In 2011, there were 17 reported fatalities stemming from 118 shark attacks worldwide.
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