Local teen attacked by shark in South Carolina

A Westfield teenager will be returning from summer vacation with 40 stitches and a frightening story to tell after he was attacked by a shark.

The attack while the teen was wading in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Carolina.

"I was just in big shock. I was thinking 'get out' as fast as I could," said 16-year-old Alex Stamm.


Alex got more than he expected while swimming at the beach at Isle of Palms.

"We were like tossing the football around. It {the shark} didn't bump into me, it just bit me straight on. I yelled. {My} first reaction, I tried to hit it in with my right hand and I saw the tale swim away. I just told my friend Christen to get out of the water and we all ran out," he explained.

Alex and his best friend's family had just arrived at the beach from Indiana. Alex said he was in the water waist deep when he felt something biting his leg.

"At first, I was kind of like bewildered, like what was going on? And I saw the bite itself, and I said that's definitely a shark bite."

Alex said the shark was about four feet long. His friend's family immediately jumped into action when they saw what had happened.

"We got on the beach and my friend's mom, she's a nurse, and she saw all the blood. Blood was gushing out of my leg. Her sister Aunt Linda, she got me on my back so I didn't go into shock. I started to get light headed," said Alex.

He has more than 40 stitches on his right leg from the attack.

"It stings but i'm taking some medicine. The doctor said that it cut. If you look at steak, the what part around the ring, it just cut right into it... a millimeter away from muscles and tendons. Actually where the skin was cut off you could see the tendons, so that was showing."

Reporter: "Are you nervous about going back into the water?"

Alex: "I'll probably get back in on the very last day just to feel it again, {but} I probably won't go in that deep anymore."

Following the ordeal, Alex said he had a special dinner request: shark! Possibly hoping to get a little revenge.

The Department of Natural Resources said on average, there are about four to five shark bites a year. To avoid any problems, experts advise you should not wear flashy jewelry in the water, especially around the ankles. Also, it's best to avoid swimming in areas where people are fishing.