Two people recovering from shark bites at Fernandina Beach

FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. (WJXT) - Fernandina Beach was closed Friday after two people were bitten by a shark.

Dustin Theobald told WJXT he was surfing with his 8-year-old son around 3:30 p.m. While in two feet of water, he was bitten in the foot. The 30-year-old said he smacked the shark’s head and it swam away, but not before it clamped down on his foot.

“I knew it was open,” he recalled. “As soon as I took my first step I could tell that the bottom of my foot was open. It’s just one of those once in a million things that could happen to anybody.” 

Doctors said he had several laceration and puncture wounds to his right foot. Dustin will make a full recovery in about six weeks after plenty of stitches, antibiotics and physical therapy. Dustin said he close encounter won’t discourage him from getting in the water. 

"It looks like I might have some tendon damage," he said. "But it's cut, it's bad. It's 4-inch lacerations on the top and bottom."

The second victim was a 17-year-old boy from Georgia. He was also bitten on the foot, and also has non-life threatening injuries. The beach reopened Saturday morning.

It’s unknown if the man and the teen were bitten by the same shark.