Surfer Fights Off Shark By Punching It In The Eye And Telling It To 'F*** Off'

A New Zealand man has had a lucky escape from a shark, using his survival instincts when he needed them most.

Nick Minogue was casually surfing at Pauanui Beach near Auckland over the weekend when he got hit by a shark.

The majority of us would seize up and refuse to move on account of being terrified, but this 60-year-old kept his cool and made sure his next moves were precise.

Speaking to the New Zealand Herald, Nick said: "I was quite a long way out, there was quite a solid swell running, I was just paddling along and got hit on the side of my elbow and forearm.

Photos_by_Angela/Flickr

"By the time I realised what was going on, its teeth were definitely latched on to the front section of the board."

Realising he was in for the fight of his life, he tried to get rid of the animal by giving it a quick whack in the eye.

He said: "So I actually shouted at it 'f***off' and went to punch it in the eye and missed.

"Then I pulled my fist back and shouted 'f*** off' again and got it right smack bang in the eye. It's quite a big eye, about three knuckles across, and its eye kind of looked up and rolled up.

"In between the two punches it crunched down a bit more on the board and then disengaged its teeth, got its jaws off and then I got brushed by the dorsal fin and the tail fin and swam off."

PA

Can you imagine getting hit by a shark, realising it could chomp you to death and having the balls to punch it in the eye?

There was only one other surfer close to Nick when the attack happened and they both paddled as quick as they could when the shark swam off.

It's not known exactly what type of shark that attacked Mr Minogue, however experts reckon it could have been a great white. Nick described it as a 'grey body with a white bottom, big head and jaw', which Department of Conservation marine scientist Clinton Duffy said was consistent with a small great white.

Nick reckons he would have come off a lot worse if he was wearing a thinner wetsuit.

Pauanui Surf Life Saving Club was closed for two hours after the attack as lifesavers surveyed the beach to ensure there was no other danger.

Topics: New Zealand, Sharks, News, Animals

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Trending Journalist at LADbible. His first job was as a newsreader and journalist at the award winning Sydney radio station, Macquarie Radio. He was solely responsible for the content broadcast on multiple stations across Australia when the MH17, Germanwings and AirAsia disasters unfolded. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign.

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