Over the weekend, news outlets everywhere jumped at the chance to interview Michael Addler, a 16 year old boy who became the victim of a shark attack while surfing at Melbourne Beach in Florida. Perhaps the most unusual thing about Addler is not the fact that he is a young shark attack survivor, but that he remained positive throughout his entire ordeal. From the bite itself, which he said did not hurt very badly (despite it having severed four tendons), to going back into the water (which he plans to do as soon as he is medically able), Addler has stayed upbeat.

This positivity has many scratching their heads. After all, isn’t a shark attack victim supposed to develop a fear of sharks after an attack? Shouldn’t this factor into their decision to head back into the surf? While many think that a shark attack is the pre-cursor to a debilitating fear of sharks, shark attack survivors everywhere say differently.

In fact, the response from shark attack survivors has been quite the opposite. Debbie Salamone, shark attack survivor and conservationist, started Shark Attack Survivors for Shark Conservation as a way to demonstrate her newly found respect for sharks after the 2004 attack that left her Achilles tendon mangled and her foot badly injured.

Every year, Debbie Salamone and a group of shark attack survivors speak nationally on behalf of shark conservation. Often, the survivors credit their attack to helping them gain a better understanding about sharks, and why they need to be protected, instead of feared.

Addler, who has been surfing since he was in kindergarten, doesn’t seem fazed by the fact that he recently joined the ranks of an exclusive club: shark attack survivors who are determined to stay positive and shed light on the behavior and life of a shark. As for how he is feeling post-shark attack, Addler, who changed his Twitter name to Shark Bait, can’t wait to get back into the ocean.