(CNN/WHDH) — A professional surfer who was recently bitten by a shark in the water off Jacksonville, Florida, went to a bar instead of the hospital immediately after the attack.
Frank O’Rourke, 23, was reportedly bitten on Saturday while surfing off Jacksonville Beach.
“It came out of the water after he went over the back of a wave and it landed on him, on his board, and kind of knocked him off his board and bit him on the elbow,” witness RJ Berger told WJXT-TV.
A surf camera captured video of the attack, which showed O’Rourke struggling with the shark.
“He was right there behind the wave and boom, that’s when he got hit and you can see the shark’s tail splashing,” Berger added.
Berger says O’Rourke got treated by a lifeguard but did not go to the hospital even though he thinks his friend could have used a stitch or two.
“He immediately went to a bar because he was like, hey I got bit by a shark,” Beger explained. “People were like, I’ll buy you drinks.”
Being a surfer himself, Berger says the incident will not stop him or O’Rourke from hitting the waves again.
“It’s inevitable, it’s gonna happen. It happened to a couple of my friends. It does bother you, but I mean, if it’s gonna happen, it’s gonna happen,” Berger said. “There’s nothing much you can do to really stop that, so try not to worry about it.”
O’Rourke said he was thankful to walk away with just minor injuries.
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