Tuesday morning, 19-year-old Cal Poly student Nick Wapner was attacked by what he estimated to be a 15-foot white shark while surfing at Sand Spit in Montana de Oro State Park, just south of Morro Bay.

According to a local news source, Wapner received 50 stitches on both his legs after the shark clamped down from his right ankle to his left thigh. Luckily, Wapner was able to kick the shark off and didn’t sustain serious injuries to his limbs — and was able to get himself to the hospital by car. Montaña de Oro State Park Ranger Supervisor Robert Colligan said that Wapner was “shaken up.”

“It may have been kind of an exploratory bite, as sharks will sometimes do,” Colligan said. “The shark might have bitten, and then realized it wasn’t what it was looking for and let go.”

“He had a couple of deep wounds,” Colligan continued. “The injuries weren’t life threatening, and he was already talking about getting back out into the water to surf again sometime soon.”

Warning signs about the attack have been posted from Morro Strand State Beach to Montaña de Oro.