Recovering from Shark Attack: CA Teenager Tells Mom He 'Can't Wait to Get Back in the Water'

Steve Warren
10-02-2018

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The California teenager who was attacked by a shark last weekend is recovering from his injuries and says he "can't wait to get back in the water."

FOX 5 San Diego reports Keane Hayes was attacked by a shark at Beacon's Beach in Encinitas Saturday.  Doctors have upgraded his condition from critical to serious but remains in the ICU section of a local hospital. 

Hayes was lobster diving with his church group 200-yards offshore when the attack occurred. Chad Hammel, also a lobster diver, helped rescue the boy and brought him safely to shore using a kayak.

Hammel told the television station he and his friends heard screaming.  At first, they thought it was the excited yell of a lobster diver, but then "I realized that he was yelling. 'I got bit!' I got bit!'"

Hammel said the group quickly realized the boy was severely injured from bites and bleeding badly. 

"His whole clavicle was ripped open," Hammel told the station. 

As they paddled to shore, Hammel turned around and saw the shark following behind the kayak.

Witnesses at the scene told FOX 5 they estimated the shark to be at least 11-feet long.

The boy suffered a shark bite that went through his chest. 

On Tuesday, Hayes' mother told an assembled group of reporters how thankful she was for the Good Samaritans who helped save her son.

"We want to thank everyone, the community, and the first responders, said Ellie Hayes, choking back tears.  "And the do-gooders who saved his life.  We really believe they saved his life.  Without them, we would be having a whole different scenario. He's asked for the people who saved his life."

"I think it's a miracle and he is a miracle," she explained.  

San Diego television station KGTV posted a photo of the boy, smiling from his hospital bed, wishing him a speedy recovery.

The Hayes family has asked for privacy during this time.

A GoFundMe account has been set up to help the family with Keane's medical bills.  As of Tuesday, $31,597 had been raised so far. 

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About The Author

Steve Warren is a senior multimedia producer for CBN News. Warren has worked in the news departments of television stations and cable networks across the country. In addition, he also worked as a producer-director in television production and on-air promotion. A Civil War historian, he authored the book The Second Battle of Cabin Creek: Brilliant Victory. It was the companion book to the television documentary titled Last Raid at Cabin Creek currently streaming on Amazon Prime. He holds an M.A. in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma and a B.A. in Communication from the University of
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