A woman says she was able to free herself after being bit by a shark off Fire Island's coast.

The shark bite happened on July 4 in shallow waters.

Lyudmila Emag says she was swimming with two friends when a shark bit her upper thigh and groin.

She says she was able to pry the animal's mouth open with her hands to escape.

Emag was taken to South Shore University Hospital to be treated for wounds.

Doctors say her cuts were around four centimeters deep.

"I was not in pain, I was in discomfort," Emag says. "I realized that I could not walk, but I was standing on my feet. It felt good."

Doctors say Emag was one of two shark bite patients to be treated at the hospital on July 4.