Advertisement

Georgia Surf Instructor Says He's 'More Than Lucky' After Shark Attacks Him While Teaching Kids

Tybee Island surf instructor
Tybee Island surf instructor

wjcl

A Georgia surf instructor was attacked by a shark on Tuesday during a lesson.

Atsushi Yamada is the owner of Hot Sushi's Happy Surf Camp on Tybee Island. On Tuesday afternoon, he was sitting on his board helping one of his students back to shore when a shark bit him on the leg, he told WBRC.

While he was startled by the encounter, Yamada explained to the news station he did his best to remain calm, as not to worry any of the students. After paddling back to shore, he was able to wrap his leg while he waited for one of the lifeguards to call an ambulance.

"I didn't want to get too panicked, so I was hoping I could manage to paddle myself back in close enough they could listen to me," Yamada said to WBRC.

The shark left behind three gashes on his leg, which required a trip to the hospital and several stitches, the outlet reported.

RELATED: Teen Who Lost Leg In Shark Attack Faces Her Fears to Be a Better Advocate for Sharks

In a Facebook post Tuesday, Yamada opened up about the incident, writing that he was "super duper thankful" that he was the only one in the water at the time of the attack.

"It [could] have been much, much worse," he added.

Since the attack, Yamada told WJCL he has a renewed outlook on life.

"I feel more alive," he said to the station, as he stood on the beach Thursday and recalled what happened. "I feel like I want to do more."

The incident won't stop the surfer from getting back in the water as soon, he assured his Facebook followers.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

"I have seen the worst during as my waterman career and as a big mountain snow skier," he explained in his post earlier this week, adding that he knows that shark encounters are a part the risk of getting into the water.

"I'm more than lucky," he wrote. "We are the strangers in the seawater, so let's we all respect our precious Mother Nature… and it's not preventable it could happen to anyone at anytime anywhere pretty much and it's a part of the sport we love…"