Shark bites surfer off Figure Eight Island

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A Wilmington man kicks a shark and then gets attacked. Josh Clement, 25, was surfing off Figure Eight Island with some friends Saturday. About 3 p.m., he caught a wave in. As he was jumping back on his board to paddle back out, he accidentally kicked the shark. He says the shark then turned and bit his left foot.

Clement is recovering in Raleigh, but he told us about the attack today by phone.

“I honestly thought that I lost my foot,” Clement said. “I mean it happened, and it hit so hard, I thought I lost my foot, and I couldn’t look back to see if my foot was there and finally I got to see if my foot was still around my leg. Of course it scared me to death, but it all comes with the territory. You’re out there in the ocean and they’re out there as well.”

Clement got six stitches. He has no idea what kind of shark it was, but he says he could tell when he kicked it, it was a big one.

This is the fourth shark attack between Topsail Island and Myrtle Beach in the last six weeks.