‘It’s going to be a gnarly scar;’ Ohio college student bitten by shark in Florida

An Ohio University student is home recovering after being bitten by a shark earlier this month.

Connor Baker, a 21-year-old education major, was on vacation with his girlfriend and their families when he was bitten at New Smyrna Beach in Florida on July 4.

>> 1 seriously injured after crash on I-675 in Washington Twp.

He told WSYX, a CNN affiliate in Columbus, that he was throwing a football in knee-deep water when he felt something grab onto his foot.

“My foot wasn’t down, it was just in the water dangling, so I kind of knew something had bit it,” Baker said.

He recalled it feeling like something was “clamping down” on his foot, but he never got a look at the shark that bit him. During the chaos, his girlfriend’s brother pulled him from the water.

Luckily, an EMT on vacation was on the beach and helped Baker out.

Baker said he didn’t start to really feel the pain of the bike until he got to the ambulance.

“Everything kind of slowed down,” he said. “All my adrenaline was gone.”

Baker wasn’t the only person attacked by a shark on New Smyrna Beach during that holiday weekend. Authorities said a man was bitten on the foot the next day while waiting in the water.

>> Vice Presidential Nominee JD Vance to hold hometown rally in Miami Valley

Now, the OU student is home in Belpre, Ohio recovering from several severed tendons on his foot, but the injury could have been much worse.

“Luckily for me, that shark actually missed a nerve in my foot,” he said. “It’s right in the bite path, and he missed it.”

He’ll have to go through physical therapy for several weeks before he can walk on his own.

Baker is gearing up to student teach this fall and there is no doubt that his students will hear more about his encounter with a shark.

“It’s going to be a gnarly scar. Really crazy scar. But I’ll just tell people, be aware, be mindful. But also, it’s a cool story too,” he said.