Matt Bender, Winter Park, Florida man survives shark attack at Smyrna Beach unofficially known as the ‘Shark Bite capital of the world,’ as doctors are forced to reconnect muscles, tendons, and nerves after having his arm chomped on by a predator.
A Florida surfer has lived to talk about surviving a shark attack at a local beach best known for being the ‘Shark Bite Capital of the World.’
Matt Bender, a 40-year-old from Winter Park, was bitten on his right forearm while surfing at New Smyrna Beach around 3 p.m., Volusia County Beach Safety Ocean Rescue said.
Upon Bender getting out of the water, he and other surfers jumped into action and used a surfboard leash to make a tourniquet and contain the wound.
New Smyrna Beach shark attack
He was rushed to a nearby hospital for emergency surgery where doctors had to reconnect muscles, tendons, and nerves during several hours of surgery, WFTV reported.
‘His hand was NOT bitten off — he’s doing good considering, but he was injured and needs our support and prayers right now,’ read a Facebook post on behalf of the surfer.
Bender has since vowed to return to the water as soon as possible.
Officials are still trying to learn what type of shark attacked him.
The beach, an inlet northeast of Orlando, is inundated with sharks, nevertheless surfers continue to risk the elements for the area’s waves.
New Smyrna Beach dangers
In 2024, New Smyrna Beach was named the shark attack capital of the world by the International Shark Attack File, which logged a staggering 361 unprovoked assaults since 1837.
Between 2010 and 2024, the beach also reported 12 surf fatalities.
In June, researchers at Tideschart also concluded that the Florida beach is the most dangerous in the country, not just because of the predators, but because it sits in the center of a hurricane alley.
Bender’s weekend near miss marks the second shark attack at New Smyrna Beach marks in the past month when a surfer was headbutted by an airborne shark
‘I was just really happy its mouth wasn’t open,’ the surfer told WFTV.
In late June, a newlywed couple at the beach had their honeymoon cut short after the man was killed after being struck by a bolt of lightning in broad daylight.
The same strike also indirectly hit two bystanders who were treated at the scene.
