A Florida surfer kept his laid-back attitude after being bitten by a shark – and is surprisingly eager to get back in the water.
Charley Hajek, 62 – also known as ‘Gnarly Charlie’ – was riding the waves at New Smyrna Beach on Sunday morning when a bull shark attacked the unsuspecting pro.
He was on day 148 of his non-stop surfing spree when he realized that a shark bit his left leg. Hajek quickly reacted and used an innovative technique to stop himself from bleeding out – using his surfboard’s leash as a tourniquet.
He told The Daytona Beach News-Journal: ‘It was so quick and the thrust was so powerful that when I was in his mouth for that split second, it bit down on me and let me go.
‘I jumped up on my board and the shark must have hauled a** ’cause he was scared.’
Charley Hajek, 62, was bit by a bull shark on Sunday morning at New Smyrna Beach
‘Gnarly Charley’ kept a light-hearted attitude after getting bitten
His initial reaction to the bite was ‘Oh my god, I got so lucky, it just bumped into me or something.’ When he stood up, his leg started gushing blood.
In an animated interview with WESH, Hajek vividly discussed his reaction: ‘By the time I even thought twice about it, it just bam! It bit me up.
‘Man, I felt like I stepped my foot on a light socket,’ adding that ‘it was so gnarly.’
He took the surfboard’s leash and wrapped it around his leg as he drove himself to the hospital where he got eight stitches.
Hajek smiled for a selfie before heading to the hospital for stitches
Hajek said he did not realize how serious the bite was until he stepped out of the water
He even posted about the attack on his Facebook page before driving himself to the hospital, poking fun at the situation.
Hajek’s light-hearted retelling is deceiving, as this shark attack could have easily been more severe.
The shark only missed Hajek’s Achilles tendon by half an inch.
This is the thick tendon that connects the muscles between the calf and heel. Injuries to the Achilles can be extremely painful and make physical activity – like surfing – difficult or impossible.
Hajek made a Facebook post documenting the incident before driving off to the hospital, demonstrating his relaxed attitude
He told The Daytona Beach News-Journal: ‘Thank God it did not bite my Achilles.’
But there aren’t any hard feelings between Gnarly Charlie and the bull shark, who the surfer named Henry as a gesture of friendship.
He was advised at the hospital to take a six to eight day break surfing hiatus, but he only plans to take three or four days off, he told WFTV.
Hajek started surfing career in 1970 in Daytona Beach, according to the bio posted on the Gnarly Charlie Surf Series website.
The 62-year-old surf pro was on the 148th day of a surfing streak with the bull shark attacked
Hajek only plans to wait three or four days before getting back into the water, even though he was told to wait six to eight days
The pro-surfer teaches classes and hosts surf competitions and camps.
He’s earned the champion title at 20 different surfing competitions from 1999 to 2023.
In all his years of surfing, he has never been bitten by a shark before.
He has witnessed other surfers get bitten at New Smyrna Beach, which he dubbed ‘Shark Park‘, but never considered that he could get attacked.
Hajek told WFTV: ‘Just surfing my life away. I am carefree. I have no worries in the world. No responsibilities. This is it!’