Florida Man Gets Headbutted by Shark While Surfing in Dramatic Footage: ‘Felt Like Getting Hit by a Car'
- - - Florida Man Gets Headbutted by Shark While Surfing in Dramatic Footage: 'Felt Like Getting Hit by a Car'
Gabrielle RocksonJuly 1, 2025 at 4:52 AM
WFTV Channel 9
Darren Kaye
A Florida man was captured being hit by an airborne shark at New Smyrna Beach in Florida
Darren Kaye was surfing when a spinner shark jumped out of the water and knocked him off his surfboard
"It felt like getting hit by a car," Kaye told WFTV 9
A surfer from Florida had an unexpected encounter with an airborne shark.
In a video shared on social media, Darren Kaye was captured surfing in the waters of New Smyrna Beach in Florida when he was headbutted by the large fish.
"A spinner shark jumps out of the water and hits Florida Man sitting on his surfboard! #nsbinlet video: @dj_kaye_," the caption read on a joint Instagram post between Kaye and NSB Inlet.
Spinner sharks are known for "spinning in the air" while trying to find food and can reach 20 feet above the water's surface, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History.
"I was just really happy its mouth wasn't open cause that's how they fish," Kaye, who was knocked off his surfboard after the impact, told local media outlet WFTV 9.
Javier_Art_Photography/Getty
Aerial view of New Smyrna Beach
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According to the outlet, the surfer had previously seen sharks at the beach and had even witnessed other people sustain shark bites. However, he never expected to be hit by a shark jumping out of the water.
"I got right back on that board and my pulse went to like 195 beats per minute in a second and I paddled as fast as I could like out of the way," he said.
Kaye went on to compare the moment to when he was previously hit by a car.
Getty
A stock image of a shark
"I have a scar and that's like what it felt like. It felt like getting hit by a car. It was really strong and powerful. They're all muscle, you know," he said.
Despite the unexpected encounter, Kaye hasn't been put off from surfing at New Smyrna Beach.
The surfer revealed that he continued to surf there throughout the weekend and beyond.
"We always have waves, so we're lucky," he told the outlet.
on People
Source: AOL Sports
