This post contains graphic images.
A California man has spoken out about his experience of surviving a great white shark attack in 2022 and offered advice to surfers.
Michael “Jared” Traynor told Fox News Digital: Ferndale, CaliforniaIt then “happened” to him that we were in the middle of Sharktober – the period from September to December when sharks are more prevalent along the coast.
“I can’t believe this was a few years ago, but it was midday and I’d been surfing this area for a while and it was pretty rugged and remote,” he recalled.
“I got a bit nervous just thinking about there being sharks in the area,” Trainor added, “and then we set off. It was just an ominous day.”
Hawaii tourist found bleeding profusely after being bitten by shark while swimming
Jared Traynor used his left foot to kick what he thought was the seal’s head, but the seal knocked his foot off. (Jared Traynor)
Mr Traynor said as he paddled out to catch the next wave he noticed the seals appearing “fairly regularly”.
“It definitely was a strange and uncomfortable sensation,” he said.
“The minute I got on my board and started paddling, I got hit,” he said. “Apparently, [the shark] I stood up and pushed my left foot up in the air and grabbed onto my right foot and the board.”
“It was fortunate that the board was fastened under his lower jaw,” he said.
Jared Traynor poses with a surfboard as he says he saw a “big black shape” when he encountered the great white. (Jared Traynor)
Mr Traynor, now 33, said he saw a “big black shadow” while submerged in the water before he was bitten.
“The last thing I remember is looking back at the beach to see where my dogs were, then I regained consciousness, opened my eyes underwater, and saw the surface and a big black shadow.”
Shark bites teenage boy’s leg on North Carolina beach
He said his first thought was that he had been attacked by an aggressive sea lion.
“I saw a big black silhouette.”
Jared Traynor poses in front of a great white shark and says he’s lucky to be alive after the attack. (Jared Traynor)
“I just had feeling in my knee,” Traynor said.
“It looked like the dog was trying to get into my wetsuit,” he said, “and I managed to kick it out with all my might a few times.”
“I heard a crash and saw stars radiating from the silhouette,” he said.
After kicking the shark, later Great White SharkThe predator released him from captivity.
After the shark disappeared, Traynor said he slowly made his way back to shore using his board.
“At the time I didn’t even know if my wetsuit was damaged. It felt like a big creature came and jumped on my legs and pulled me down,” he said. “I didn’t realize I had such a deep laceration.”
Traynor and his family later learned he had been attacked by a great white shark estimated to be about 16 feet long and weigh more than 1,000 pounds. (Jared Traynor)
Mr Trainor said no one was on the beach but thankfully a fellow surfer in the car park saw the attack and ran towards shore.
“I saw him running towards me and I knew what had happened to me was pretty serious,” he said. “Then when I got to the beach and stood up I realised my whole leg had been skinned off. I was amazed I could still walk.”
“There was a lot of bleeding but it wasn’t painful at the time,” he said.
Florida shark attacks have no connection to orcas: marine biologist says report
Trainor said a good Samaritan who came across him on the beach grabbed his dog’s leash and tied it around his upper thigh like a tourniquet until paramedics arrived and rushed him to Redwood Memorial Hospital in Fortuna, California.
Jared Trainor’s surfboard after the shark attack. Trainor said he knew it was a shark, not a sea lion, because there were teeth marks on the board. (Jared Traynor)
Mr Trainor asked the paramedic if he had been attacked by a seal, and the paramedic pointed to a surfboard with a large shark bite mark.
“I was almost in tears because I had just experienced my worst fear and thought it was a sea lion,” he said.
Trainor’s injuries included six lacerations to his inner thigh, a torn MCL in his knee and a bone piercing.
Jared Trainor was attacked by a great white shark in October 2022 and continued to wear the brace after undergoing surgery. (Jared Traynor)
After the surgery, Trainor began physical therapy and was eventually able to get back on his surfboard.
California man survives shark attack, reports say he punched predator ‘in the mouth’
“Physical therapy was a hurdle I had to overcome, but it ended up working and about two months later I was able to get in the ocean and surf,” he said.
“It was important to me to overcome the PTSD I was experiencing from the attack,” he said.
Jared Traynor’s leg was stitched up after being attacked by a shark in October 2022. (Jared Traynor)
Jared’s wounds healed slowly after surgery. (Jared Traynor)
Surfing enthusiasts are now riding the waves with groups of friends.
“I “We still surf the same beaches a lot, but now we’re in a group and we all keep in touch when we go so we have a buddy to get in the water with,” Trainor said.
Click here to get the FOX News app
Ms Traynor said she was “grateful” to be alive and for the progress that had been made since the attack.
“People have died because of this, and it nearly killed me,” he said. “I’m so grateful I was able to recover from that.”
