Henry County man saves pregnant fiancée during Florida shark attack

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A Henry County man is recovering from surgery after he pushed his pregnant fiancée to safety and fought off a shark in Daytona Beach on Saturday evening. 

What we know:

Jacorey High, 22, and his fiancée were swimming in shallow water Saturday evening when a medium-sized shark unexpectedly struck. High felt something sharp clamp onto his left leg and fought back as a rush of adrenaline took over.

“I realized right away it was a shark because of the way it bit down on my foot, but I was more worried about getting my fiancé out of the water,” High said.

Then it came up to try to get my arm, so I had to push it away from me. I ran, and it tried to get my other leg,” High added. 

He described the animal as grey on top and roughly the size of his leg to his waist.

High only realized the full extent of his injuries after pulling himself out of the water.

“I didn’t really feel it until I got to the hospital when they started giving me medicine for it,” High explained. 

After escaping the water, High noticed a large amount of blood pouring from his foot. 

Medics rushed him to a local hospital, where surgeons operated on his injuries.

Doctors told High that the animal caused extensive damage and that his full recovery could take around three months. 

“Hoping that it didn’t really mess up anything important in my foot so that I can go back to work,” High said. 

Despite his fear, he expressed gratitude to live through the ordeal, though he faces a challenging recovery.

Marine life experts at the Georgia Aquarium note that unprovoked shark attacks remain rare, with only 60 to 65 recorded worldwide each year.

To help High through his recovery, click here. 

What we don’t know:

It remains unclear if High sustained permanent damage to his foot that could impact his ability to return to work. Officials have also not confirmed the exact species of shark involved in the incident.