Jared Trainor: California surfer SURVIVES shark attack by kicking Great White in the head and clinging to it
CENTERVILLE BEACH, CALIFORNIA: A shark attack has left a California surfer with serious wounds and a bitten board. The attack took place on October 2 at Centerville beach when Jared Trainor, 31, was paddling out on his board to where the waves were breaking.
Trainor told The Times-Standard, "I don't remember the initial contact. It kind of happened so quickly." The seasoned surfer also claimed to be aware of the dangers of surfing in Northern California in the month of ‘Sharktober,’ when mature sharks make their way back to the west coast. "It did seem like there might be a little more seals than normal. They were hanging out in the whitewash, which is pretty common for them anyways,” he added. Recalling how suddenly he found himself being sucked underwater by a shark, the surfer said, "Coffin style. Its lower jaws had the board and its upper jaws had my leg,” he remarked. According to a Washington Post report, Trainor retaliated by kicking the shark's head with his free leg and clinging onto its body with one hand until the beast released him. After swimming back to shore, Trainor used another surfer's phone to call for help.
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The injuries covered 19 inches, the length of the shark's mouth and the doctors closed extensive wounds on his leg with staples, according to the Times-Standard. Following the attack, pictures of Trainor smiling in a hospital bed, the bite marks on his surfboard, and his injuries were uploaded to Instagram.
Trainor told the Times-Standard, "I'm grateful to be alive. And I love surfing so much that I'm hoping this brings a newfound appreciation.” Many Instagram users posted encouraging words in the comment section with one person writing, "Rest up dude. you'll be back in the water in no time 🤙🏼🤙🏼🤙🏼." "That's gonna be a badass story & scar though, hope healing is a breeze mentally & physically! But pretty badass!!! You surfers are gnarly to go out there! My toddler is obsessed with sharks so we've been watching a lot of documentaries, powerful animals!" another added.
A GoFundMe page was also created to support the medical expenses of Trainor, who would require a ‘long recovery,’ according to the page. However, Trainor noted that the attack hasn't stopped him. He said, “I do have a flight to Hawaii in less than a month. I was really hoping to surf there." In addition, he stated that despite the rarity of shark attacks, he wants his son to love surfing as much as he does. "I haven't actually told my son directly that this happened. Because I hope that he's not going to lose interest in the sport,” he added.