Shark attacks, it seems, have become more and more common in recent years. Where once we laughed at the idea of a giant dorsal fin sliding through the water (after the initial queasiness that “Jaws” induced, obviously), now it’s a very real possibility every time one goes to the beach. One Cape Cod man found that out the hard way.

Chris Myers was swimming with his teenage sons when suddenly he felt crushing pain in his lower legs and was pulled under.

“Suddenly, something came up between them. It had a large dorsal fin,” eyewitness Anne-Marie Corner said.

Myers said he managed to get away and began swimming with his son J.J. towards the shore, but became very dizzy and knew he was losing blood. Harrowing 911 calls have been released from that day, which contain the panic and fear that shrouded the beach once onlookers realized what was happening. J.J. said it didn’t really hit him until they made it up on the beach.

“I heard him scream and turned around, and saw the back and the fin of the shark up out of water,” he said. “At that point it hit me when it was happening. But at the same time, I thought that none if it was real. It really seemed like a movie. None of it seemed real until I was on the beach.”

Perhaps the scariest part of the story is that scientists in the area believe Myers was bitten by a great white. He was lucky to escape with his life, and says it will take him a while to work up the courage to go back in the water, no matter how much he loves that beach.

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