Oct. 20--Peter Kirn was ready to catch some waves with his surfboard on Monday afternoon off a South Florida beach when he felt something chomp on his foot and leave a severe wound.
Then he saw a 5-foot Spinner shark leap from the water and twirl in the air.
"He said he felt the bite and then saw the shark jumping and spinning," said Mike Jachles, Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue spokesman. "He knew he had to get out of the water."
Kirn, 21, had been on his surfboard for about 20 minutes -- about 50 yards from shore, just north of the Deerfield Beach Fishing Pier -- when the shark attacked.
He managed to paddle back to shore and run to a lifeguard tower at about 1:50 p.m. While Deerfield Beach Ocean Rescue stemmed the bleeding, Kirn was "conscious and alert," Jachles said.
Then a fire rescue crew took Kirn to a hospital. "He's in good condition," Jachles said. "He's an avid surfer and he couldn't believed this happened to him."
