‘I’m not mad at him:’ Nassau County shark bite survivor speaks out for the first time

42-year-old Benny Hendrix Jr. is speaking out about his shark bite in Fernandina Beach on June 28.

Hendrix was operating his charter boat, Heavy Hitter, in the Amelia River near the port and West Rock when he hooked a 6-foot dusky shark. It took 30 minutes to pull the shark in.

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Hendrix said after his customers took photos with the shark, and he was just about to let it go, the shark turned its head and chomped his arm.

“By the grace of god, he didn’t shake his head, but he did not let go for a while,” Hendrix told Action News Jax.

Hendrix said he spent four nights in the hospital and was released Tuesday. He said he is happy to be back out in the community and more importantly back on his boat.

His arm is still intact, but it will be at least one year of recovery.

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Despite this tragic incident, he adds he is thankful this happened to an expert like himself.

“I’ve got thirty years of experience boating. I’ve pulled sharks into boats like that thousands of times. It was the first time a shark got me. That shark is still alive and I’m not mad at him. He was fighting for his life too,” Hendrix said.

He is no longer going to place larger sharks onto his boat, and he urges all fishermen to do the same.

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Although none were fatal, there were 16 reported shark bites in Florida in 2023, according to the Florida Museums of Natural History Shark Attack report, which accounts for almost half of all shark bite incidents that year.

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