blacktip reef shark. Photo courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons/PacificKlaus.

STUART (USA)- A teenage surfer was attacked by a blacktip reef shark while he was posing for pictures in waist-deep waters off the Florida-town of Stuart.

The shark bit him on the right hand. The young surfer needed 12 stitches.

The 16-year-old  says he hit the shark with his surfboard and then ran out of the water to get help. He says the shark he saw was between 4 feet and 5 feet long.

According to the University of Florida’s International Shark Attack File, Florida leads the country in shark attacks.