GALVESTON, Texas – A 19-year-old woman was bitten by a shark on the west end of Galveston Island -- but she didn’t go down without a fight.
Damiana Humphrey, of Oklahoma, told KPRC 2 senior digital producer Brittany Taylor she visited Galveston with her family on Memorial Day and then headed to the beach the following day.
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“So, me and my family usually take a summer vacation trip together,” Humphrey said. “And so this year, we chose Galveston because we went two years ago, and we thought it was nice. So we went again. And, we usually go during, like, Memorial Day weekend. So, we got there on Monday. And then the incident happened on Tuesday.”
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Humphrey, along with her two younger brothers, young sister and sister-in-law, went about waist-deep into the water. At some point, she said her sister-in-law saw something tan moving in the water.
“She said that she saw a tan shadow, like something tan,” she said. “And it was pretty big, so she didn’t know what it was. So that’s why she was in the process of telling us we needed to go to shore.”
As she and her siblings were headed back to shore, Humphrey said she saw the nearly 5-foot shark grab hold of her left hand and attempt to launch at her again.
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“That moment, my brain didn’t process it,” Humphrey said. “So it felt like a dream. Because first of all, it happened so fast. Second of all, my brain could not catch up to what was happening. It was my body’s reaction to it that probably saved me. So yeah, I did not. I didn’t feel anything. I didn’t think anything at the time.”
Fighting off a shark
Humphrey said she punched the shark at least two times, and her family had no idea what was happening at the time of the incident.
“They just saw like the waves splashing,” she said. “So, actually, my brother, one of my brothers, he told me to chill out because he just saw the water splashing everywhere. He did not see the shark. And then my other brother, he told me to stop splashing because many of them did not see the shark.”
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After Humphrey fought the shark off, she told her family to get out of the water and they all ran to the shore -- that’s when she saw the damage.
“By the time I got to my dad, that’s when I raised my arm and I looked at it for myself,” she said. “That’s what caused me to freak out and stuff, because when I looked down, like a big chunk of the top of my hand was gone. And so I was like, ‘oh my gosh,’ because I thought I would lose my fingers or my hand because, to me, it looked really bad.”
Humphrey said an off-duty paramedic was at the beach with his family and helped her wrap a towel tightly around the bite until Galveston EMS paramedics arrived.
Galveston Island Beach Patrol told KPRC 2 they were responding to the beach but were told the victim was already headed to the John Sealy Emergency Room by ambulance.
Humphrey said doctors initially thought she severed one finger but when she went under for surgery, they found out it was four of her fingers. She also said they were able to repair the part of her hand with stitches. She stayed at the hospital for at least two days after surgery.
Although she and her family were not told what kind of shark bit her, they researched and learned that it was possibly a “pool shark.”
Officials said most shark bites in the Galveston area are “hit and run” bites (not “attacks”, where the shark is feeding on schooling fish, bites a human by accident, and swims away). They’re cases of mistaken identity.
Humphrey’s recovery process
She said as she recovers, Humphrey had to quit her summer job because she has limited mobility in her left hand and can’t lift anything while her hand is healing in a cast.
“I can’t really do anything, she said. “Like, my hand is in a cast right now, so I can’t, like, bend it or lift anything right now. I will have to do physical therapy to gather my strength and my mobility and everything.”
The doctor told Humphrey that she will need to take 4 to 6 weeks before she does physical therapy and visit a hand specialist.
“As of right now, I’m not in any summer classes at all,” she said. “But I did work at the hospital. It’s like, patient care tech. I did have to quit because I can’t with patients, and I can’t do any of the stuff I need to with my arm, because it has to be elevated throughout the day and night. And I can’t really do that work either. So I did have to quit my job. So I’m not working right now.”
A warning to other beachgoers
Humphrey’s advice? Stay alert!
She said the family looked up the weather for that day and checked the tides at the beach but not what was happening inside the waters.
“If you do go, like, be aware of what time of day you need to go, because we went during dusk and that was the time where, like, sharks come out, like dusk and dawn are the worst time to go,” Humphrey said. “So I would definitely be on high alert during that time if you go. And I would definitely recommend not going into murky water at night or like in the midday range, unless you know you’re feeling comfortable with. But also, shark attacks don’t happen that often, so I wouldn’t like worry too much about it.”
Galveston Island Beach Patrol’s general tips about sharks on our beaches:
Avoid swimming in areas with schooling fish
Do not swim in areas where water empties into the gulf- these are popular feeding grounds for sharks and large fish
Shuffle your feet - this chases away small sharks, stingray, and other marine animals that can be harmful
Avoid swimming or wading if there is blood in the area, including using a stringer while fishing
Always stay with a buddy, since sharks are more likely to approach a solitary individual
Do not wander too far from shore - being far from shore also isolates you from any emergency assistance
Exercise caution when occupying the area between sandbars or near steep drop-offs - these are favorite hangouts for sharks
Avoid being in the water during low light hours (dawn or dusk) and at night when many sharks are most active and feeding
Sharks have never been shown to be attracted to the smell of human blood, however, it may still be advisable to stay out of the water if bleeding from an open wound (SEE ALSO: Menstruation and Sharks)
Wearing shiny jewelry is discouraged because the reflected light may resemble the sheen of fish scales.
Avoid areas with known effluents or sewage and those being used by sport or commercial anglers, especially if there are signs of bait fishes or feeding activity - diving seabirds are good indicators of these fishes’ presence
Avoid water being used by recreational or commercial anglers
Sightings of porpoises or dolphins do not indicate the absence of sharks, both often eat the same food items
Use extra caution when waters are murky - some shark species will have just as much trouble seeing as you
Avoid uneven tanning, bright-colored and/or high contrasting clothing - sharks see contrast particularly well
Refrain from excess splashing, particularly in a single spot - sharks can hear the low-frequency sounds from splashing and may investigate to see if there is a fish/prey in distress
Do not enter the water if sharks are known to be present - slowly and calmly evacuate the water if sharks are seen
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