Texas Dentist Attacked By Shark But Lives To Tell The Tale [VIDEO]

WACO, TX — A dentist attacked by a bull shark while vacationing in the Bahamas has lived to tell the tale.

Steve Cutbirth, a restorative dentist in Waco, confronted the shark last Saturday while diving and spear fishing with his son-in-law and two experienced guides, he told KWTX-TV. He later posted images of his wounds — gruesome bites to his face and leg — on his Facebook page.

Making matters worse was the lack of a doctor on the island he was visiting, he told the news station. Although inexperienced in treating shark bites, a local nurse sutured the wounds while he guided her through the procedure, he told KWTX in a telephone interview.

"She did a wonderful job," he said.

Cutbirth theorized the shark was lured by the smell of blood from a large fish his son-in-law had speared near the site of the attack.

The dentist posted a video on his Facebook page detailing his ordeal."All of a sudden, it felt like a truck hit me on the face," he said on the video. "And I turned around and I could see that white underside of his mouth and those teeth open right there."

Retaining his sense of humor despite the ordeal, Cutbirth conceded his looks might be compromised given the likelihood of residual scars. But he noted his wounds might yield a more menacing presence.

“I won’t be as handsome as I was,” Cutbirth told the station. “But I will have that edgy look.”

He didn't have harsh words for his ocean attacker despite the severity of his wounds.

“The shark was just doing what sharks are supposed to do, which is keep the ocean clean by eating dead or injured fish,” Cutbirth told the station.

>>> Images via Facebook; photo of bull shark via WikiMedia Commons.

Read the full story at KWTX >>