MELBOURNE, Fla. -- Truth turned out to be stranger than fiction for an author who was surfing off the Brevard County coast.

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A shark attacked Davis Bunn, a christian novelist, off the Melbourne Coastline, leaving him severely injured.

Like all surfers, Davis Bunn knew it could happen. He has paddled into the deep blue waters of four continents, but nothing could prepare him for the attack.

"When it hit, I didn't know if I had a foot. The pain was so intense," said Bunn.

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He was surfing in one of the best places on the East Coast and then the shark came out of nowhere.

"There is nothing more silent than an attack at sea," said Bunn.

It took all he had to swim the 50 meters in with two wounded legs, before fellow surfers could get to him and help.

Then not wanting to worry his wife with a phone call, he drove home.

"I drove home. I didn't think I was in shock," said Bunn.

Now the shock has worn off.

"It's 20 stitches in this and 100 in that one," he said. The reality of his injuries have set in.

Bunn writes books for a living, but surfing remains his passion. He's ridden a board for four decades and now just can't wait till his wounded legs heal.

"There is more of a joy now than there was before. I was just so fortunate so blessed," Bunn said.

Now just happy to be alive, he says he has learned a valuable lesson the hard way.

"There is that desire to go surf the waves by yourself, just you and nature and I will never do it again, never," Bunn said.

Bunn has written a number of Christian-themed novels, the latest being "The Lazarus Trap."

Bunn may need an extra operation to fix two skin grafts. Doctors said Bunn may be able to make a complete recovery by the first of the year.