( CNN ) -- It 's official : It was a great white shark that bit a man 's legs last week just off the coast of Truro , Massachusetts . `` This conclusion was reached after examination of the injuries and testimony from ( the victim ) , '' said Reginald Zimmerman , a spokesman for the office of Energy and Environmental Affairs . Chris Myers and his teenage son were swimming toward a sandbar about 500 yards off Ballston Beach . They wanted to body surf where the waves were breaking . `` Apparently I was the only one on Cape Cod who had n't heard of the shark sightings , '' Myers told CNN 's Piers Morgan on Tuesday night . Reports of shark sightings have gone up off the coast of Massachusetts in recent years , especially around areas where seals congregate . Shark-bite victim : 'Only one option , which was swim ' But just after the pair decided to turn around , something bit the man 's leg . `` I figured it was either an elephant ... or a polar bear ... or a shark . So pretty quickly I got to shark , '' Myers jokes . `` It felt like I was in a very , very heavy vise . '' The great white shark then surfaced between father and son , who were about 6 feet apart , arching its back as if intentionally showing itself to them , he said . The shark slipped under the waters , and the men swam back to shore where they were helped by a doctor and a nurse who happened to be on the shoreline . Myers was composed until he realized he had survived a great white shark attack . He had only one word to describe that moment : `` euphoria . '' The physical damage caused by the shark was far less than it could have been . Myers has a cast on his left leg because his tendons were severed and 47 stitches on his right leg , where the teeth of the shark left several puncture wounds . Great white sharks range from 12 to 21 feet and weigh nearly 3 tons . They are believed to live longer than 30 years . Increased shark attacks : Is 'Jaws ' back ? Watch Piers Morgan Live weeknights 9 p.m . ET . For the latest from Piers Morgan click here .
Official says a great white shark bit a man off the coast of Truro . The victim was released from the hospital with 47 stitches and a cast . Score: 6