He’s still hanging ten — barely.
A fearless 15-year-old whose foot was chomped by a shark while surfing on Long Island said Tuesday the attack won’t stop him from getting back on his board.
“[I’m] very excited to go back and start shredding again,” Peter Banculli, of North Babylon, told Long Island’s News 12.
Banculli was riding the waves with a friend near Fire Island at around 5:30 p.m. Monday when the man-eater bit his left heel and toes — prompting him to paddle for his life to shore, he said.
“My first reaction to when the shark grabbed my foot was to immediately get out the water … and get help,” he told the station.
Banculli’s friend, Joe, and a good Samaritan helped him until first responders arrived at Kismet Beach, and he was rushed to a hospital emergency room, he said.
“I didn’t believe it at first and then my reaction was pure panic,” his mom, Kelly, told the station. “I needed to get to him right away.”
“I’m really proud of him and he’s super brave,” she added.
Banculli, who’s been using a knee scooter to get around with his injured foot, said he plans to surf again as soon as he’s healed — while keeping a closer eye on what might be lurking below the surface.
He’s grateful his injury wasn’t more gnarly.
“Thank you to the good Samaritans on the beach that helped me, thank you to all the people in the hospital and the ER for me, yeah, the lifeguards, my mom, my dad, thank you,” he said.
A total of 15 of members of Saltaire Ambulance department helped treat and transport Banculli to the hospital, Newsday reported.
On Monday, a teenage girl was also possibly attacked by a shark in the waters at Robert Moses State Park, just about three miles from Kismet Beach, according to officials and a report.
Last July, more than half a dozen people were bitten by sharks on Long Island in just three weeks, including surfers.
One of the victims, 16-year-old Max Haynes, was chomped on the foot and described the sensation as feeling “like a bear trap.”
He suffered a four-inch wound on his right foot.