Surfer hospitalized after shark bite in New Smyrna Beach, Florida

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Florida (WPVI) -- A surfer is sharing his story after he was bitten in a city known as 'The Shark Bite Capital of the World.'

"And just like a lightning strike, the shark came out of nowhere. I just felt it chomped down on my arm, felt like a bear trap," said Matt Bender.

From his hospital bed, the 40-year-old surfer is telling the chilling details after he was bitten by a shark on Sunday.

Bender, an avid surfer, was in the waters off New Smyrna Beach in Florida when what he believes was a bull shark attacked him.

He says he got on his belly and used his surfboard like a boogie board while making his way back to shore.

Bender managed to flag down a young girl, and her dad for help.

"I was yelling 'Help!' They saw the blood. They reacted well. I wasn't freaking out and i think that was was a huge blessing," he said.

Video shows Bender receiving care before he was rushed to the hospital.

New Smyrna Beach is known as the "Shark Bite Capital of the World." It's been the site of over 300 shark bites since the 1800s, with eight reported shark bites in the last year alone.