A teenager is thankfully recovering from a shark attack she suffered while on vacation with her family in Galveston, Texas, in May. And, according to reports, it was her fighting spirit that likely saved her life.
Damiana Humphrey said a shark, she described as being around four feet long, grabbed onto her hand while she was in waist-deep water with her siblings. And though she was fuzzy on the details of what exactly happened next, the 19-year-old says her first instinct was to give the shark a beat down.
“I looked down, and there was a shark attached to my hand, so I guess I started punching it. That part is kind of blurry to me,” she said.
Medical personnel took the teen to the hospital where they operated on her hand. Humphrey had four severed tendons and will need to undergo physical therapy, but doctors expect her to make a full recovery.
According to Beach Patrol chief Peter Davis, sharks don’t usually go around biting people in the Jamaica Beach area where Humphrey’s family was swimming.
“It’s really rare for us to have shark bites here in Galveston,” he told Houston’s FOX 26. “And when it is, it’s typically a case of mistaken identity where they meant to eat something, and then they realized that it was a person and let go and swam away.”
But shark expert Dr. Kesley Banks of Texas A&M University told The Daily Mail that there is an increase in reported shark incidents in the summer when more people are in the water. He adds that Humphrey’s instinct to punch the shark was correct because landing a fist on its nose or gills – which are vulnerable points – can make them release their grip.
Humphrey’s parents told local FOX 26 they’re not surprised Damiana fought her way out of what could have been a much more dangerous situation. In fact, they would expect nothing less from their gutsy daughter. “We’re not surprised. She’s one of the toughest girls we know,” said her mom.