Raymond Senensi, 10, was bodyboarding on Makaha Beach Park in Hawaii when he was attacked by a shark. The shark bit his leg and wounded him but he didn’t panic.
The strong boy managed to kick the shark away using his other leg. "I kicked it with this leg, and then I kicked him in the nose," Raymond said.
While he was trying hard to reach the shore, another body boarder, Mike Ward, was surfing nearby when the attack occurred. "I said, 'What’s wrong?' and he said, 'A shark is following me'." Mike narrated.
Together with an off-duty lifeguard, Mike was able to get Raymond back to the beach, where he was rushed to hospital.
His mother, Shirita Moreno, described the incident as her ‘worst nightmare'.
"I was hysterical; he wasn’t. He was telling me, 'Mom, I’m going to be okay'." Shirita told KHON-TVDoctors say Raymond is recovering well and should be discharged from hospital soon.
The attack was Hawaii’s seventh confirmed shark encounter of the year. The average number of shark bites per year has doubled over the past decade, but scientists say that's because there are more people in the water, providing more opportunities for encounters.
There has been an average of about nine shark bites per year over the past five years.
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