14 year old surfer girl can’t wait to return to the waves despite a shark bite. Video by Tim Shortt
Brevard County's sixth shark-bite victim this year can't wait to get back in the water.
But 14-year-old Kaia Anderson of Floridana Beach will have to wait until sometime next year, when the severed tendons on her left heel have mended. Late Saturday afternoon, Kaia was surfing with friends when she was bitten
"I felt a tug on my leg," the teen said.
She shouted to her friends that she had been bitten, and they returned to the beach. A fisherman carried her closer to State Road A1A and her parents were contacted.
"She went into shock a little bit, but she didn't cry," said her father, Randall Anderson.
Kaia, whose name is Polynesian for 'ocean,' was treated at Sebastian River Medical Center. It took 100 stitches to patch up the bite, she said.
Anderson said the shark was likely swimming toward food, but clamped onto Kaia's heel instead.
"It immediately let go," he said.
The family lives just on the east side of A1A and uses the Floridana Beach Civic Association's beach access point to hit the surf. Getting from their front steps to the beach is a short walk.
But it's not a walk Kaia will be able to make on two feet for a while, let alone get back in the water. Her doctor said it's a nine-month recovery time for the Hoover Middle School student.
Kaia Anderson, 14, of Floridana Beach (south of Melbourne Beach) was bitten by a shark this past Saturday while surfing. While being interviewed, their dog Spot wanted to be in the photo. (Photo: TIM SHORTT/ FLORIDA TODAY)
"I'm going to miss it because the surf is really good in the winter," she said.
Kaia was Brevard's sixth bite victim this year and 29th in Florida, according to the International Shark Attack File at the University of Florida.
Souce: floridatoday
