Man Recovering After 'Frightening and Painful' Shark Attack

A 68-year-old man bitten by a shark off the coast of Ocracoke Island, North Carolina, on Wednesday has been upgraded from fair to good condition today after surviving what he described as a "frightening and painful" attack.

The victim, identified by the hospital as Andrew Costello, was bitten on his left side in his lower leg and hip and on both his hands, Hyde County EMS Director Justin Gibbs told ABC News.

Costello was taken to Vidant Medical Center in Greenville, North Carolina, in fair condition Wednesday, the hospital said. Today he's been upgraded to good condition, the hospital said.

Costello called the attack "frightening and painful" in a statement today, adding that he feels "very fortunate to have survived."

Costello will need several operations, Dr. Eric Toschlog, Chief of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery at Vidant Medical Center, said in a statement today.

"We are optimistic that he will make a full recovery," Toschlog said.

Costello "had been swimming in about 25-30 feet offshore in about waist-deep water" at the time of the attack, the National Park Service said in a statement. "There were no other swimmers injured."

This was the seventh shark attack off the North Carolina coast since June.