07/15/2023 Nick Ehas 8 yr Costa Rica

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Colorado boy bit by shark on family vacation

WESTMINSTER, Colo. (KDVR) — A family of five is counting their blessings after their summer vacation in Costa Rica took an unexpected turn.

The Ehas spent their final day of vacation at the clinic. The youngest, 8-year-old Nick, needed stitches after a shark bite.

“We were sitting on the beach getting hit by waves and then a wave came in with a shark in it and bit my foot,” Nick said.


The Ehas were enjoying their final day in Costa Rica, spending it at their favorite beach of the trip.

“It was quite a haul, but once you get there it’s just gorgeous,” Luke Eha, Nick’s father, said. “One of the most beautiful beaches we’ve ever seen.”

Luke said they noticed some marine life in the water, so everyone stayed close to shore, but then the unexpected happened.

“They were having a great time,” Luke said. “We all just kind of sat at the edge and the waves would push us over.”


Suddenly, Nick ran out of the water with three gashes on his right foot.

“Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought he was going to come screaming out of the water that a shark bit him,” Amanda Eha, Nick’s mother, said.

Nick’s older sister, Kyla, said she was shocked.

“It scared me a little bit because he’s my little brother and I didn’t want him to be hurt or have anything wrong with him,” Kyla said.


The family said Nick was taken to a nearby clinic, where he received about 10 stitches.

“He was a champ,” Luke said. “It’s something we teach our kids, to be tough and make positive out of any situation too. And in this case, I believe God was looking out for us,” Luke said. “If they were in waste-deep water, the situation could’ve been a whole lot worse.”

Luke said Nick was bitten by a black tip shark, but his foot is expected to make a full recovery.


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