Oregon surfer reports shark bite off Gold Beach

GOLD BEACH, Ore. — An Oregon surfer headed out to catch just one more wave off Gold Beach was bitten by what he said was a great white shark, which gripped both his leg and board inside its jaws.

Twenty-six-year-old Seth Mead, a Florence resident, said the shark released its grip for an instant, just long enough to give him time to catch a wave back to shore on Monday morning.

Mead's grandparents, Wilbur and Joyce Ternyik, told KCST Radio in Florence that their grandson's leg looked as if he had been in a chainsaw accident.

They said the attack might have been due to this year's heavy salmon runs, which attract both seals and the sharks that feed on them. In his wetsuit, the Ternyiks speculated, their grandson may have resembled a seal.

KCST reported that Mead would suffer no permanent damage, but that he did have some chipped bones.