On Tuesday night, a surfer fell victim to the first shark attack the UK waters have ever seen, according to The Telegraph.

Rich Thomson, 30, fortunately left the scene with no more than a cut on his thumb.

“It won’t stop me going back in the water and it shouldn’t stop anyone,” he told the BBC, “I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

It was reported that Thomson was surfing off the coast of Bantham in South Devon when the incident occurred. The 3ft-long shark grabbed Thomson by the leg, however surrendered in his attempt as the surfer bashed the creature over the head with his surfboard.

Wildlife publisher and illustrator Marc Dando believes the shark to have been a smooth hound shark. This species is known to be found in the the eastern Atlantic Ocean from the British Isles to South Africa and in the Mediterranean.

Thomson initially had a hard time convincing his wife that the incident had actually occurred.

Thomson was also left with a “sizeable bruise about three inches across”. The surfer claims that it was thanks his thick winter wet suit that his injuries were not worse.

“I turned round and saw this little shark was on my thigh and wriggling its head side to side.

“I hit it on the head and it swam off."

Thomson told the BBC that he initially had a hard time convincing his wife that the incident had actually occurred.

Thomson claimed that he has already been nicknamed "Sharkbait" and "Nemo" at Kingsbridge Community College, where he works as a teacher.

Director of conservation at the Plymouth-based Shark Trust, Ali Hood, explained that the shark “would likely have been disorientated” by the “turbid, dynamic water” of the river mouth.

“British waters are home to a wide diversity of sharks with a number of coastal species such as smooth hound, tope and cat sharks often reported by beach goers and water users,” she said.

Hood said that she has not heard of this kind of attack in the British waters and experts support this in saying that this is the first of its kind, given the location.