Man evades shark attack
By Brandon Davis
Published in News on July 3, 2016 1:45 AM
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Aaron White
Aaron White's not getting back in the ocean any time soon.
The 32-year-old Dudley resident and his 11-year-old nephew, Ryan, took a trip to Carolina Beach last weekend, but the fun ended when a 3-foot tiger shark rushed at them, prompting White to fight back.
White said he kicked the shark to protect his nephew and scared it away for a moment. But it quickly renewed its attack.
"He came at me again," he said. "I couldn't believe how aggressive he was. It's a miracle he didn't graze me with his teeth or anything."
White yelled at Ryan to leave the water, then reached down and pushed on the shark's head and nose until it moved away. White and his nephew then quickly got out of the water and told others on the beach about the attack.
"There ain't no question. He had his target locked on me. I was his target," said White, who said he has been going to the beach since he was young and never had any trouble in the water.
"I've never been stung by a jellyfish. I've had no type of encounter like that."
There were plenty of other people in the water at the time of the attack. White said he heard a girl scream but thought nothing of it until he saw a fin coming toward him.
"There ain't nothing you can do because you are in their world," he said. "I felt like I did what I could do, but if it had been any bigger he could've snatched hold of my leg and my hand."
White has not been in the water since, but said he eventually will go back in, but only shin deep.
There have been two reported shark attacks in recent weeks along the North Carolina coast.
In neither case was the victim as lucky as White. An 11-year-old boy was bitten on the foot June 26 at Fort Macon. And an 18-year-old boy was bitten on his wrist June 11 at Atlantic Beach.