“At first, I thought I got caught in a boat propeller. Once I was under the water, I knew it wasn't a boat propeller.”

The Portland Press Herald · Maine lifeguard escapes after great white shark drags him underwater

“It just goes over your head and under your arm. I slipped out of it and got back to the surface, and I just started swimming as fast as I could to shore.”

The Portland Press Herald · Maine lifeguard escapes after great white shark drags him underwater

“People on the beach said they saw this rescue can come flying up from under the water and going up in the air about 4 to 5 feet.”

The Portland Press Herald · Maine lifeguard escapes after great white shark drags him underwater

“What did you feel like when you got back to shore? I felt like I had a job to do.”

The Portland Press Herald · Maine lifeguard escapes after great white shark drags him underwater

“Will I swim the buoys this year? No. I'll swim, but I'll be in chest-deep water.”

The Portland Press Herald · Maine lifeguard escapes after great white shark drags him underwater

“because everyone in the public was worried, they wanted to have a more visible presence and put a Jet Ski in the water and had vehicles to patrol the beach.”

The Portland Press Herald · Maine lifeguard escapes after great white shark drags him underwater