Florida Surfer 'Having Nightmares' After Sudden Shark Attack

A 36-year-old Florida surfer is recounting his experience surviving a horrific shark attack last Sunday (March 12). Matt Picarelli told WPTV he was in the water at Pepper Park Beach in Fort Pierce when the beast bit him.

"It was a big animal next to me coming towards me and then, once it bit me, it took a chomp out of my foot and it just immediately left and just flew away, like so quick," he said. "Everything happening so quickly, it didn't feel real at all. It felt very surreal."

Picarelli managed to escape the water as beachgoers and bystanders rushed to his aid. His friend ended up driving him to HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital, where he got dozens of stitches.

"Fifty stitches, broken tendon, chipped the bone. Yeah, it was – didn't look good," Picarelli described, adding that he still suffers shots of pain and will need to stay off his foot for six weeks. On top of the physical injuries, the shocking event still haunts him.

"Every night I've been having nightmares about it," he said. "I'm having sharks, whether I'm in the water or even in a room, coming towards me and biting my leg, biting my arm, biting my side, biting something, and attacking me."

Despite the trauma, the longtime surfer is smiling and looking forward to getting back into the water after his recovery.

"I feel like I always have a positive mind. I'm optimistic," Picarelli said. "I love the ocean. I'm in there every day, so I don't see myself not going back in after this."

Picarelli also set up a GoFundMe to help with his medical expenses.