A teen on vacation with her family at Jamaica Beach in Galveston earned a new nickname after fighting off a shark attack last month.

Damiana Humphrey, 19, was waist-deep in the water at the beach when she felt something on her hand.

“I looked down, and there was a shark attached to my hand, so I guess I started punching it,” Humphrey told Fox 26. “That part is kind of blurry to me. Apparently, my fight instincts kicked in, and I fought it.”

The shark, which was said to be around 4 or 5 feet long, then swam away, prompting Humphrey and her siblings to quickly exit the water.

She was taken to a nearby hospital, where she underwent surgery on her hand. Four tendons in her hand were severed, and her arm is now in a sling.

“They said I should make a full recovery with my physical therapy,” she told Fox 26. “Honestly, I’m just glad it wasn’t as bad as it could have been.”

Her sense of humor about the situation prompted the medical team at the hospital to jokingly dub her “Shark Bait.” Humphrey told Fox 26 that the surgery team played the theme from the movie Jaws as they wheeled her to the OR, where they also played the Baby Shark song.

Humphrey’s dad said that the teen’s brothers plan to get tattoos on the back of their hands in the shape of a shark bite to honor their sister’s victory over the shark.

“We are definitely a family that handles things through laughter and humor,” Humphrey’s mother said.

Galveston Beach Patrol Chief Peter Davis told Fox 26 that shark bites like this are uncommon in the area. He noted that shark bites are only reported once every couple of years.

“It’s really rare for us to have shark bites here in Galveston. I’ve worked a few of them in my career and the ones I’ve seen were shark bites, not attacks, meaning it was a case of mistaken identity where they latched onto a human and swam away. It sounds like this may have been similar to that,” Davis said.

Other shark attacks have also been reported along U.S. beaches this year, including in Florida.

On June 7, two teens and a 45-year-old woman were bitten by sharks in separate attacks less than two hours apart near the Florida Panhandle, per the Pensacola News Journal.

The woman lost her lower left arm and incurred “significant trauma” to her midsection and pelvis area. One of the teenager’s hands was bitten off, and her right leg had to be amputated. The second teen suffered flesh wounds to her right lower extremity, according to South Walton Fire Chief Ryan Crawford.

The incidents occurred between Miramar Beach and Panama City Beach.

Panama City Beach Police flew a helicopter the following day and reported seeing a “notable presence of sharks, specifically bull sharks,” near where the first incident occurred, PNJ reported.

As reported by Outdoor Gulf Coast, some tips for staying safe from sharks include:

  • Stay in a group, as sharks are more likely to attack a lone individual than one in a group.
  • Do not enter the water at night, dawn, or dusk, as sharks are most active during these times.
  • Do not enter the water with an open wound or if you are menstruating, as sharks are attracted to blood.
  • Avoid wearing shiny jewelry, which sharks could mistake for fish scales.
  • Avoid areas where there are signs of bait fish or feeding areas.
  • Use extra caution when in murky waters.
  • Avoid wearing bright colors in the water, as sharks can see contrast well.
  • Avoid excess splashing, and do not allow pets in the water due to their erratic movements.
  • Use extra caution between sandbars or steep drop-offs, as those are some favorite shark hangout spots.
  • If you spot a shark, don’t panic, and exit the water swiftly but calmly to avoid attracting further attention.