Man reports being bitten by shark in North Myrtle Beach

A 42-year-old man from Delaware is being treated for a reported shark bite in the ocean near 12th Avenue South in North Myrtle Beach.

The man said he was bitten on the foot by what he identified as being a 3-5-foot-long shark around 3:30 p.m.. He was floating on his back in the ocean when he apparently felt a tug on his foot, then felt his foot taken into the fish’s mouth, according to Pat Dowling, North Myrtle Beach spokesman.

The man said he shook his foot loose from the fish’s mouth and made it to shore. There were puncture wounds on his foot and he was bleeding, according to Dowling. The man was taken to the hospital.

John Williford, of Roxboro, N.C., said he was sitting on the beach when he saw a man in the surf yell, “jump and stagger a little bit” as he came in from the water.

He said the man’s foot was bleeding as he and a nearby lifeguard rushed to his aid.

Williford, who has had EMT training, said the man had “several lacerations on both sides of his foot and on his toe.”

Despite the injury the swimmer appeared pretty calm, Williford said, as he told them a 3-foot shark had clamped down on his foot.

“In the past two years, there has been a lot of shark bites and sightings through the area up and down the east coast here,” Williford said. “I’m just telling my kids they need to be careful out on the beach, and if they go in the water, don’t go out too far and just be aware of your surroundings. … We’re swimming in the shark’s dinner plate so just be careful.”

A red flag flew from the back of a lifeguard stand nearby, advising swimmers of a high hazard associated with a rough surf and rip currents that have plagued swimmers along the coast since Friday.

This story was originally published June 22, 2016 at 10:15 AM with the headline "Man reports being bitten by shark in North Myrtle Beach."