A local surfer says he was bitten by a shark in the waters off Assateague over the weekend.
On Sunday morning, first responders were dispatched to Assateague State Park for a surfer reportedly bitten by a shark. Another park visitor attended to the individual and had called emergency services.
In a Facebook post shared Sunday, the surfer, Brendan Oster, said he was paddling in the water when a shark clamped down on his hand and quickly released. Both the Berlin Fire Company and Maryland Natural Resources Police were dispatched to the scene after he paddled back to shore.
“Neither Park Service staff nor NRP had the opportunity to examine the injury,” Department of Natural Resources Media Relations Manager Gregg Bortz said in a statement this week. “Therefore DNR can’t confirm it was a shark bite and has no further information on the incident.”
While the surfer sustained minor injuries, Maryland State Police Aviation were called to the scene for a Maryland Natural Resources Police officer who was reportedly injured in a fall while responding to the incident. He was taken to TidalHealth Peninsula Regional, where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries and released on Sunday evening, Bortz said.
Never wise to try and pet the big fish. (Sarcasm)