Frank O’Rourke endured the bite while surfing in Florida
Frank O’Rourke, an Irish American professional surfer, chose to go to a bar instead of the hospital after being bitten by a shark over the weekend.
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O’Rourke was surfing in Jacksonville, Florida, on Saturday afternoon when the incident occurred.
Speaking with ABC News, O'Rourke said: “Shark comes out of the water and grabs onto my arm, right by my elbow. Kinda tugs a little bit and thrashes."
“I guess it tasted me and was like, ‘Nope,'" he added.
When the surfer emerged from the water, lifeguards tended to his arm before he decided to skip the hospital and go for a few beers instead.
Speaking with News4Jax, O’Rourke’s friend RJ Berger, who witnessed the incident, said: “He was right there behind the wave and boom – that’s when he got hit and you can see the shark’s tail splashing- it like, knocked him off his board.
"It was kind of panic, like, 'Did that just happen?'
"It kind of took him a couple seconds to, like, gather himself and realize, like, 'Wow, I just got bit by a shark,' and then we all went into the beach."
Berger added: "He immediately went to a bar 'cause he was like, 'I got bit by a shark,' and people were like, 'I'll buy you drinks.' So he went and hung out at the pier.”
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On Instagram, O’Rourke said: "Wow what a weekend. I’m thankful to come away with minor injuries from a shark that bit me Saturday!"
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