Surfer Bitten By Bull Shark Off Florida Beach

DAYTONA BEACH (CBSMiami/CNN) - A woman who was bitten on the foot while surfing off New Smyrna Beach said she's now a little afraid of returning to the water.

Adrienne Wikso was surfing with friends near a jetty when she was bitten by a bull shark. She said she didn't see it coming before it grabbed her foot.

"He wouldn't let go and he started thrashing and shaking me and he was pulling me, he was trying to get away with me like I was a fish," she said.

Wikso is a decades-long surfer and is familiar with the area and its shark bite capital reputation.

"There's great waves and I never ever thought I'd get bit, I was never was afraid," she said.

Wikso was on her longboard and she thinks without it, the shark might have pulled her into the water. Ultimately she used her other foot to kick the animal. A friend she calls her lifesaver pushed her all the way to shore.

"I was bleeding really bad and he was in the trail, the blood trail, and who knew if this guy was following us," she said.

Wikso underwent a four-hour surgery. She said the doctor found more damage to her foot than x-rays showed.

Wikso, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, said being on her board in the ocean has always been her happy place, it was an activity that made her physically feel better. Now, however, she's a bit haunted and unsure about her surfing future.

"I don't know, I honestly don't know. I'm not one of those people who say 'Oh, I'll be back, I got just a nibble, I'll be back.' I don't know, right now, no," she said

Volusia County Beach Safety Ocean Rescue said on average they have eight to 10 shark bites a year and all have been non-life-threatening.

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