Shark Bites 13-Year-Old Boy's Face While Catching Lobsters In Florida Keys

Florida Keys, Florida -- A 13-year-old boy ended up receiving 10 stitches on his lips after a terrifying encounter with a shark while he was catching lobsters in the Florida Keys.

The annual lobster catching expedition became a nightmare for Fischer Hricko and his family after they visited the Florida Keys last week. While Fischer was trying to get a big lobster he spotted in the water, a nurse shark latched onto his face and chomped down on his lip.

"I saw a big one, and I got it in my hand. On the way up, when I had the lobster in my hand, I felt a little tap on the back of my leg, and I looked behind me and the shark was in my face," Fischer recollected the terrifying moments, reported NY Post.

Fischer then grabbed the shark off his face and started swimming back to his boat. "It was scary, like, I tried getting away, but it was so fast," he said, Patch reported.

Fischer's mother, Rhiannon Hricko, who witnessed the encounter said those were the scariest moments in her life.

"He just popped up screaming, 'Mom, Mom, shark! Get me out of here! Get me out of the water!'" Rhiannon recalled. "It was honestly the scariest five minutes of my life. Just hearing that terror in your child's voice, it's something that I can’t actually get out of my head."

Rhiannon pulled her son back to the boat and rushed him to a hospital. The boy received 10 stitches to cover the wound on his upper lip.

Fischer said he is recovering from his wounds. "It hurts every so often, but it's fine now," the brave boy said.

Although the experience has left him with a scar on his lip, Fischer is not ready to give up his passion for fishing.

"I'm ready, but I feel like the first few times I'll be a little scared, but I'll get in the water," he added.

Nurse sharks are not known to be aggressive and generally swim away when they are approached. However, there are still reports of unprovoked attacks on swimmers and divers. Once latched with their powerful jaws, it can sometimes be difficult to release their grip.