26-year-old Edgewater surfer suffers shark bite to foot in New Smyrna Beach waters

Rainy weather on this Tuesday afternoon from Tropical Storm Debby kept beachgoers away from the hard sands of New Smyrna Beach as shown with this snapshot from the Volusia County beach cam, but that didn't keep surfers out of the water, even with a shark bite.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- A 26-year-old Edgewater man was bitten on the foot by a shark while surfing this afternoon near the South Jetty where the waves are bigger and sharks like to hunt for bait fish, a Volusia County Beach Patrol official said.

The surfer had a 1-inch laceration to his foot while in 3 to 4 feet of water, Beach Patrol spokeswoman Capt. Tammy Marris said.

This was the fourth shark bite so far this year, she said. Marris didn't have the victim's name readily available. He went to Bert Fish Medical Center on his own and was met there by a Beach Patrol officer for a shark bite report, she said.

"He was surfing in the inlet where most of the surfers get bit," Marris said, adding, "It's a very minor bite."