The 21-year-old was hospitalized after a shark bit his left foot and ankle near the Dunlawton Beach Approach.
DAYTONA BEACH, FL — A 21-year-old Georgia man was hospitalized after a shark bit him while he stood in waist-deep water at a Volusia County beach Saturday evening, beach safety officials said.
The man was near the Dunlawton Beach Approach shortly before 5:30 p.m. when a shark estimated to be about 4 feet long bit his left foot and ankle, according to Volusia County Beach Safety. Beach safety personnel treated him at the scene before he was taken to a nearby hospital. Officials described his injuries as non-life-threatening.
The injured man was identified in subsequent news reports as Jacorey High of Henry County, Georgia. High said he was in the water with his pregnant fiancée when the shark bit him. His immediate concern, he said, was helping her get safely out of the water.
High told FOX 5 Atlanta that he recognized the animal as a shark because of the way it bit his foot. He said the shark moved toward him again while he was trying to leave the water, forcing him to push it away before reaching shore.
High described the shark as gray on top and roughly the length of the distance from his waist to his feet. Officials did not release a species identification, and no independent identification of the shark was reported.
Doctors performed surgery on High’s injured foot, according to his account. He said he expects his recovery to take about three months, though additional details about the operation and the extent of any lasting damage were not immediately available.
The bite happened along the Atlantic coast near Dunlawton Avenue, a heavily used beach access point in Daytona Beach Shores. Volusia County operates beach safety services and maintains a public beach camera at the Dunlawton location.
Officials had not announced additional injuries connected to the incident as of Monday. No further information was released about the shark, and authorities did not identify any confirmed next step beyond High’s medical treatment and recovery.
Author note: Last updated July 27, 2026.