A Florida beachgoer got more than what he bargained for when he took his surfboard out for a spin.
Darren Kaye had an up-close-and-personal encounter with an apex predator in New Smyrna. And not only did he live to tell the tale, he even had the jaw-dropping moment caught on camera.
“It came out of the water like a cannon ball smashing me,” the surfer recalled.
A surfer in Florida was headbutted by a flying spinner shark at New Smyrna Beach
Image credits: dj_kaye_
Darren was calmly surfing off the coast of the beach when the June incident took place. At some point, a spinner shark launched itself out of the ocean and headbutted him in mid-air.
A now-viral video captured the shark crashing into him with full force and sending him into the water.
Image credits: dj_kaye_
It “came out of nowhere and hit me like a truck. His nose slammed me right in the face, his pectoral fin bruised my left bicep and got slammed right off my lost ‘96 RNF redux,” Darren wrote in the caption of his Instagram post.
The unfazed surfer called it “just another day at the inlet!”
The jaw-dropping moment was captured on video and has since gone viral on social media
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Before the wild encounter, the surfer said he and his friend spotted the shark swimming around the waters. But they didn’t think much of it.
“We had seen it swimming around a bit, but didn’t think anything of it (of course),” he wrote in the comments section of another post.
Image credits: Unseen Beaches/Unsplash (Not the actual photo)
“All of a sudden it came out of the water like a cannon ball smashing me in my nose and bruising my left bicep. Also knocking me off my @lostsurfboards round nose fish ‘96 redux,” he continued.
The thrill-seeker said it was “wild to see on video” and called it an “amazing experience.”
Darren described the impact as being hit by a “cannon ball” but called it an “amazing experience.”
Image credits: WFTV Channel 9
While speaking to WFTV 9 about the dramatic moment, Darren said he tried to get away from the shark as fast as he could.
“I got right back on that board and my pulse went to like 195 beats a minute in a second and I paddled as fast as I could like out of the way,” he told the outlet.
“I was just really happy its mouth wasn’t open,” he added.
This wasn’t the first time Darren was struck by an object with significant impact. The only difference was that the last time, it wasn’t a marine predator. It was a car.
“I have a scar and that’s like what it felt like. It felt like getting hit by a car. It was really strong and powerful. They’re all muscle, you know,” he said.
“I was just really happy its mouth wasn’t open,” said the unfazed surfer
Image credits: dj_kaye_
Spinner sharks are known for their distinctive aerial “spinning” behavior, and they spin out of the water’s surface in quick bursts to catch their prey. They can leap up to 20 feet in the air and rotate up to three times before going back into the water.
It is rare for spinner sharks to cause critical injuries to humans. Their teeth are more suited for preying on small fish and not for tearing up large prey. Nevertheless, it is always advisable to stay cautious.
Image credits: Niall Perrins
Despite being head-butted by a shark, Darren’s love for the waters seemed undeterred.
“We surfed there the rest of the weekend, we surfed there this morning, we surfed there yesterday afternoon,” he said. “We always have waves. We are lucky.”
Social media users were stunned by the clip and called the moment “wild”
Image credits: WFTV Channel 9
Netizens who came across the video agreed “that’s wild!”
“Little puppy was just having a good day jumping around,” one said, while another wrote, “Omg! Bro was like, not today, this is my wave.”
“Oh my god! That’s so cool (since you’re ok),” read another comment.
Some shared their own up-close-and-personal encounters with sharks.
“Had one jump across my boat nearly hitting the console,” one commented on social media
Another wrote, “Had this happen to me at Navarre Pier. It hit my foot hard on its way out of the water and still landed next to my board. Fun moment, kept surfing.”
“I got hit by one at inlet while up riding a wave,” another shared. “Thought it broke my arm when I put it up to block the impact.”
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