WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Calling it a "bloody mess," a Martin County man on Tuesday detailed his painful encounter after he was bitten by a shark while surfing.
Bert Krebs, who's been surfing for more than three decades, was riding waves off the north end of Jupiter Island in Hobe Sound earlier this month when he fell off his surfboard in about chest-deep water.
"I thought I kicked a rock or something. And all of the sudden, there was the bite," Krebs said during a news conference Tuesday at St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach. "I knew right away what happened. I knew it was a bite. And I yelled, 'shark bite' to my friends."
Krebs' friend carried the injured surfer to a nearby road, where amazingly, an off-duty firefighter who had seen the incident was waiting with medical supplies to clean and cover the wound.
The shark had bitten Krebs on the foot and also tore off a chunk of his toe.
"For some reason, I was calm. I wasn't freaking out or anything. I kind of was accepting what was going on," Krebs said.
The Hobe Sound resident was taken to St. Mary's Medical Center, where he was treated by trauma surgeon Dr. Faris Azar and other medical professionals. He was released three days later.
While Krebs needs a couple months to fully recover, he said he's eager to get back in the water.
"I love it. It's a passion of mine. It enhances my life. There are benefits, physical, mental, spiritual," Krebs said.
The longtime surfer added he's grateful to be alive and has an immense amount of respect for the creatures he shares the ocean with.
"I'm just visiting their world and I accept the things that go along with it," Krebs said.