MELBOURNE BEACH, Fla. - A surfer in Florida's Space Coast is recovering from a bite to the hand by a shark.

The 32-year-old man suffered a small wound to his hand Tuesday morning.

The surfer told authorities he was paddling out from shore at Melbourne Beach when he placed his hand in the water and felt a bite.

His hand was treated by paramedics at the beach, and he didn't need to be taken to a hospital.

Brevard County officials say it was the first reported shark bite of the year for Florida's Space Coast. But University of Florida shark expert George Burgess says it's the county's third attack.

So far this year, the United States has had 30 unprovoked shark attacks, with half of them in Florida.