(KERO) — Steve Bruemmer was swimming at a beach near Monterey Bay on June 22 when he was bitten by a shark.
The bite caused significant injuries to his stomach and leg, but he is recovering and recounting his ordeal.
"It grabbed me and pulled me up and then dove me down in the water, and then, of course, it spit me out. I'm not a seal. It's looking for a seal. We're not their food. It spit me out," said Steve Bruemmer, shark attack survivor "And it was looking at me right next to me. I thought it could bite me again, so I pushed it with my hand and I kicked at it with my foot and it left."
Ahead of his return home, Bruemmer also recounted his rescue, thanking his rescuers and the hospital staff that made his healing process easier.
"There were two ICU nurses and a doctor at the beach who took their own t-shirts and turned it into tourniquets. I had tourniquets on my legs and arms within five minutes to stop the bleeding, otherwise I'd bleed to death," said Bruemmer
"I was in a tough spot and they were so caring. I'm going home now, but I want to thank natividad and the good samaritans, and the good people on the beach, and that lead footed ambulance driver. Without all of you I don't make it. And the blood donors, oh thank you so much."
Bruemmer underwent weeks of physical therapy, which he will continue. But as a triathlete, doctors say his recovery was better than expected.
