GETTY Sam Kanizay was attacked by flesh-eating sea lice

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Sam Kanizay is still wheelchair-bound three days after the frenzied attack at Dendy Beach in Melbourne, Australia. After half hour in the sea, the 16-year-old emerged from the water with blood pouring from his legs after feeling a strong tingling sensation. Experts now say the tiny crustaceans, which usually feast on fish carcasses at the bottom of the ocean floor, are attracted to light, so could have been lured by the full moon. Sam’s father Jarrod Kanizay said his mother speculated that the full moon may have been to blame for the attack, but his family laughed it off as a superstition. ** GRAPHIC PICTURES BELOW **

EPA Sam was left bleeding for hours after the attack

It’s a bit strange and adds to this all feeling a bit like a horror movie Jarred Kanizay, Sam's dad

He told Daily Mail Australia: “I was saying you're an idiot, Mum, but blow me down she was partially right.” His father, Mr Kanizay added: “It’s a bit strange and adds to this all feeling a bit like a horror movie. “Sam's got his headphones in listening to music and chatting to friends on Instagram - and all the while his legs are being eaten.” After washing the blood off in the shower did not stem the bleeding, the 16-year-old was taken to hospital after what his family believed was a sea lice attack. He now remains in Dandenong Hospital unable to walk, but doctors hope he will make a full recovery as the sea fleas are not venomous and cause no lasting damage.

GETTY Sam was bitten by tiny crustaceans, which usually feast on fish carcasses

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Mr Kanizay said: “He can't walk around freely without pain so the wheelchair will help with the pain and help him recover at home once we get him out of hospital. “Whenever he will move, it will open up those wounds, so I think there'll be some time, probably, on the couch when he gets home.” After doctors struggled to explain the boy’s unusual injuries, his father decided to investigate from himself. Mr Kanizay took a net and a fresh piece of meat to the beach to capture the creatures he believes are responsible for his son’s attack.

GETTY Sam Kanizay is in a wheelchair three days after the attack