The teen was attacked in waist-deep water off the coast of North Carolina. Her father punched the shark to get it to let go. Winter now walks with a prosthetic leg.
It was a triumphant return to the water as Paige Winter faced her fears head-on in the middle of the ocean. It was the first time Winter, 19, has been up close with sharks since she was famously attacked by one two years ago off the coast of North Carolina in waist-deep water.
Her father came to her rescue, punching the shark in the nose to get it to release his daughter.
“While I was underwater, I kind of came to terms with the fact that I was going to die. And then I kind of changed my mind real quick. I was like, ‘No, don’t want to do that,'" Winter said.
Paige now walks with a prosthetic leg. Her journey back to the water was documented by National Geographic in a new special, “Shark Attack Investigation: The Paige Winter Story.”
Biologist Dr. Mike Heithaus accompanied Winter on her return to the ocean.
“Despite the adversity, she was able to kind of see the perspective of what’s out there. I mean, these are not animals that are targeting people or doing anything from a position of malice. So I think it just shows her maturity to really understand what happened,” Heithaus said.
