Sebastian, Fl (WPBF) -- A 21-year-old surfer in Florida knew just what to do in the case of a shark bite, and that's a good thing because it happened to him.

Brandon Taylor said he knew he was taking a risk every time he got into the water.

"I usually surf like a five-nine, this is a five-eleven," said Taylor.

Taylor and his surfboard ride the waves off the Sebastian inlet every week, but on Tuesday it was different. He felt a shark pain with a burning sensation as he was paddling out for his first run.

"And like 45 seconds into it, out of nowhere, bam," said Taylor.

A shark bit him on the arm. The animal wasn't huge, maybe a five-foot bull shark.

The shark left a mark and a lot of blood.

"The main bite here, I got 14 stitches, a couple like holes still. Then I got all these puncture wounds with two other wounds," he said.

Taylor and his friend swam back into shore. They used his board leash to create a tourniquet.

"So we just wrapped it really tight right here and then when we got to the truck I just put a towel on it. And so there was quite a bit of blood," said Taylor.

Shark bits off the coast are extremely rare, but it's something surfers prepare for.

"Be ready for an instance like that and just know in the back of your mind that it can happen at any time and know what to do," said Taylor.

They applied pressure, raced over to the fire department and got him to the hospital within minutes.

Another surfer said he was also bit by a shark on Monday about two miles from the scene of Taylor's attack. This surfer said he was about to take his last wave to shore when a 4-foot shark grabbed his foot, nearly biting his little toe off.

WPBF