Latest news with #DarrenKaye
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Flying Shark Headbutts Florida Man While Surfing (Video)
It's common knowledge that surfing in Florida comes with the risk of shark interaction, especially with regards to New Smyrna Beach, aka the 'shark bite capital of the world.' But the shark encounters in NSB usually involve sightings and the occasional nip, and they're typically from black tip and bull sharks. It's such an unsurprising occurrence, in fact, that more than a few surfers get gnawed every season. The following surfer, however, had a different shark experience entirely while surfing NSB recently. He got smacked – headbutted, one might say – by a flying spinner shark. See the footage, and hear his tale of what went down below. 'I was just really happy its mouth wasn't open, because that's how they fish,' explained Darren Kaye, the victim of the shark slap, whose chyron reads rather comically 'hit by shark.' Kaye continued: 'I got right back on my board and my pulse went to about 195 in a second. I paddled as fast as I could right out of the way.' The grainy footage, likely snagged from a Surfline cam, shows the shark flying out of the water, spinning, and colliding with Kaye right in the face. And although he reported no injuries, he was pretty shook from the force of the impact. Kaye continued: 'It felt like getting hit by a car. It was really strong and powerful. They're all muscle.'Apparently, the spinner shark is unique in its practice of leaping out of the water, and twirling its body. Per the non-profit Oceana: 'A fast and agile predator, the spinner shark feeds unlike any other shark species by spinning out of the water in quick bursts of speed to catch a meal.' As for Kaye, the incident didn't stop him from paddling back out. He added: 'We surfed there the rest of the weekend. We surfed there this morning. We surfed there yesterday afternoon. We always have waves, so, we're lucky.'Flying Shark Headbutts Florida Man While Surfing (Video) first appeared on Surfer on Jun 30, 2025
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Flying Shark Headbutts Florida Man While Surfing (Video)
It's common knowledge that surfing in Florida comes with the risk of shark interaction, especially with regards to New Smyrna Beach, aka the 'shark bite capital of the world.' But the shark encounters in NSB usually involve sightings and the occasional nip, and they're typically from black tip and bull sharks. It's such an unsurprising occurrence, in fact, that more than a few surfers get gnawed every season. Advertisement The following surfer, however, had a different shark experience entirely while surfing NSB recently. He got smacked – headbutted, one might say – by a flying spinner shark. See the footage, and hear his tale of what went down below. 'I was just really happy its mouth wasn't open, because that's how they fish,' explained Darren Kaye, the victim of the shark slap, whose chyron reads rather comically 'hit by shark.' Kaye continued: 'I got right back on my board and my pulse went to about 195 in a second. I paddled as fast as I could right out of the way.' The grainy footage, likely snagged from a Surfline cam, shows the shark flying out of the water, spinning, and colliding with Kaye right in the face. And although he reported no injuries, he was pretty shook from the force of the impact. Kaye continued: Advertisement 'It felt like getting hit by a car. It was really strong and powerful. They're all muscle.' Related: Shark Chases Surfers to Beach After Attacking Teen (Video) Apparently, the spinner shark is unique in its practice of leaping out of the water, and twirling its body. Per the non-profit Oceana: 'A fast and agile predator, the spinner shark feeds unlike any other shark species by spinning out of the water in quick bursts of speed to catch a meal.' As for Kaye, the incident didn't stop him from paddling back out. He added: 'We surfed there the rest of the weekend. We surfed there this morning. We surfed there yesterday afternoon. We always have waves, so, we're lucky.' Related: Forget Sharks; These Surf Spots Are Full of Crocodiles Flying Shark Headbutts Florida Man While Surfing (Video) first appeared on Surfer on Jun 30, 2025
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Florida Man Gets Headbutted by Shark While Surfing in Dramatic Footage: ‘Felt Like Getting Hit by a Car'
A Florida man was captured being hit by an airborne shark at New Smyrna Beach in Florida Darren Kaye was surfing when a spinner shark jumped out of the water and knocked him off his surfboard "It felt like getting hit by a car," Kaye told WFTV 9A surfer from Florida had an unexpected encounter with an airborne shark. In a video shared on social media, Darren Kaye was captured surfing in the waters of New Smyrna Beach in Florida when he was headbutted by the large fish. 'A spinner shark jumps out of the water and hits Florida Man sitting on his surfboard! #nsbinlet video: @dj_kaye_,' the caption read on a joint Instagram post between Kaye and NSB Inlet. Spinner sharks are known for "spinning in the air" while trying to find food and can reach 20 feet above the water's surface, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History. 'I was just really happy its mouth wasn't open cause that's how they fish,' Kaye, who was knocked off his surfboard after the impact, told local media outlet WFTV 9. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. According to the outlet, the surfer had previously seen sharks at the beach and had even witnessed other people sustain shark bites. However, he never expected to be hit by a shark jumping out of the water. 'I got right back on that board and my pulse went to like 195 beats per minute in a second and I paddled as fast as I could like out of the way,' he said. Kaye went on to compare the moment to when he was previously hit by a car. 'I have a scar and that's like what it felt like. It felt like getting hit by a car. It was really strong and powerful. They're all muscle, you know,' he said. Despite the unexpected encounter, Kaye hasn't been put off from surfing at New Smyrna Beach. The surfer revealed that he continued to surf there throughout the weekend and beyond. 'We always have waves, so we're lucky,' he told the outlet. Read the original article on People
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Florida surfer filmed being headbutted by airborne SHARK while trying to catch a wave
A seasoned surfer off the Florida coast was abruptly knocked off his board when a shark suddenly launched out of the ocean, and struck him in the head. Darren Kaye, 51, of Winter Park, was surfing off the coast of New Smyrna Beach - an inlet northeast of Orlando - earlier this month, staying alert after spotting sharks near the shore and witnessing several recent attacks at the popular surf spot, WFTV 9 News reported. Though he kept a close eye on the water, Kaye never thought to look to the air - until, in a split second, a spinner shark burst out from underneath the surface and headbutted him off his board. 'I have a scar on the side of my elbow from being hit by a car and that's what it felt like,' Kaye told WFTV. 'It felt like getting hit by a car. It was really strong and powerful,' he added. 'They're all muscle, you know.' Early on the evening of June 20, Kaye was sitting on his surfboard, gently bobbing with the waves at the popular surf spot that has been nicknamed the 'Shark Bite Capital of the World,' according to visit New Smyrna Beach. While paddling into the waves on a board commonly known as a 'fish,' something bizarre happened. In a wild moment caught on camera, a spinner shark - named for its signature spinning leaps during feeding - suddenly erupted from the water in front of Kaye. 'Kind of ironic, right?' Kaye told WFTV. 'So you're riding a fish, and the shark tries to get your fish.' Though the shark missed its prey during its unexpected leap into surfer-filled waters, it didn't miss Kaye - slamming into his head mid-air and sending him crashing off his board. 'I was just really happy its mouth wasn't open,' he told the outlet, noting that spinner sharks are known for ejecting out of the ocean while hunting for fish. In the moment, Kaye had no idea what had struck him as the sharp-toothed sea creature hurled him into the choppy waters of the Sunshine State. 'I got right back on that board and my pulse went to like 195 beats a minute in a second, and I paddled as fast as I could to get out of the way,' Kaye told WFTV. Kaye explained that the force he felt was eerily similar to a car accident - an experience he knew all too well, with a scar on his elbow as a lasting reminder. Thankfully, despite weighing over 120 pounds, spinner sharks aren't known for delivering serious or powerful bites during attacks. He did feel a sudden headache, but was relieved when he realized the damage was minimal. He promptly jumped back on his board to catch another wave. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Darren J Kaye (@dj_kaye_) 'We surfed there the rest of the weekend, we surfed there this morning, we surfed there yesterday afternoon,' Kaye told WFTV. 'We always have waves,' he added. 'We are lucky.' In Florida - particularly at New Smyrna Beach - not only are spinner sharks common, but bull sharks, one of the most dangerous species to humans, are also frequently observed. Earlier this month, a summer vacation took a turn for the worse when a mommy influencer's young daughter was attacked by a shark in the Sunshine State - leaving her without her right hand. Leah Lendel, 9, was snorkeling near the shore of Boca Grande with her mother and siblings around noon on June 11 when she was bitten by a shark. Bystanders said an eight-foot bull shark managed to bite off the girl's right hand and part of her wrist. She emerged from the water on her own, completely covered in blood. With the help of nearby construction workers, the family called 911 and created a tourniquet out of a beach towel to stop the bleeding. The little girl and her father were airlifted to Tampa - 100 miles away from the beach - where she was admitted for emergency surgery in the hopes of reattaching her hand. In an update to Gulf Coast News Now earlier this month, Lendel's mother said: 'They had to get arteries from her leg to the hand. Got the blood flow back to her hand. Install pins in bones. Still has open tissues. 'They will be monitoring her here for a week,' she added. 'But thank God she can move her fingers.' On June 12, Lendel's uncle also offered NBC News further details on the nine-year-old girl's condition: 'The doctors were able to do some miracles and put her hand back together.' 'She will be in the hospital for a while and then a lot of physical therapy to hopefully get her hand functioning again,' he added. Now that summer is in full swing - meaning shark attack season is underway - beachgoers and surfers alike should exercise extra caution along the East Coast.
CBS News
a day ago
- General
- CBS News
Video shows airborne shark hitting surfer's face in Florida: "Like a truck"
A man surfing in Florida was hit in the face by a spinning shark — and the encounter was caught on camera. Surfer Darren Kaye said he was in waters off New Smyrna Beach, Florida on Friday evening when the spinner shark knocked him off his board. Video shows the shark flying from the water and striking Kaye, knocking him off his board. In an Instagram post, Kaye said the shark's nose hit him in the face and its pectoral fin hit him on the left arm. Kaye identified the animal as a spinner shark. The species is known for the spinning leaps it takes while hunting prey, according to the Florida Fish And Wildlife Conservation Commission. The sharks often jump out of the water, the commission said. Adult spinner sharks grow to a maximum length of seven to eight feet, and can weigh up to 110 pounds. Kaye said the shark hit him "like a truck." In another video describing the event, Kaye said he and other surfers in the area had seen the shark "chilling" and "doing its thing" in the area, but had paid it no mind because the species is a common sight. "Boom, all of a sudden, like crazy rocket ship, straight at my dome," Kaye said in the video, which was recorded for Surfline, a company that uses remote cameras to monitor ocean conditions. A Surfline camera captured the video of the shark hitting him. The encounter was "absolutely nuts," Kaye said, but it didn't rattle him -- he surfed for another 45 minutes afterwards, he said. Then, he looked up the video and sent it to friends and family. "Just another day at the inlet!" he wrote on Instagram. New Smyrna Beach is off Florida's east coast. The city is about 15 miles south of Daytona Beach. The city has 17 miles of coastline and is known for good surfing conditions, according to its website.
