Woman bitten by shark on South Padre Island describes moments before and after attack

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas – A woman who was one of four people attacked by a shark off South Padre Island on Independence Day recounted what she experienced in the moments before the attack.

Tabatha Sullivent was in the water when she spotted what she thought was a large fish.

“There were about four of us in the water. I had some teenagers with me. My 15-year-old daughter was there too. And all I saw was something gray in the water,” she said.

The shark continued to move toward the group.

“I thought, ‘Oh my God! That’s a huge fish.’ It was coming toward us, so I kicked it and I think that’s when it grabbed my leg,” Sullivent recalled.

Sullivent said the attack left her in shock.

“It was like I could feel a numbness, that’s probably the best description,” she said.

Her husband fought with the shark to lure it away from Sullivent and was bitten twice.

Sullivent said she could move her toes and ankles and her bone structure was good after the attack.

“I will probably definitely need physical therapy,” she said.

Sullivent thanks a higher power that she survived the attack.

“I would say there was definitely someone or something watching over us,” she said.

ALSO ON KSAT.COM

Shark attacks in Texas: What we know about the bite victims on South Padre Island

Shark attacks 4 beachgoers on South Padre Island on July 4, Texas wildlife officer says

Data shows that there have been fewer than 50 shark attacks in Texas in the last century

WATCH: Beachgoers film shark attack on South Padre Island, witnesses describe scene