A 77-year-old granddad fought off a shark attack by punching the animal in the face before swimming 50-metres back to the shore.
Richard Stubbs was out snorkelling with his swimming team, known as the Salty Sea Fossils, at the Yallingup Lagoon, in Western Australia at the weekend when he was attacked by the shark.
The two-metre shark had been lurking in some seaweed near where Stubbs had been swimming and lunged up to bite his leg.
A dramatic struggle ensued, which left Stubbs fearing for his life as he bravely fought off the shark by punching it, before others who were in the water nearby swam over to help out.
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In the attack, Stubbs sustained a deep cut to his right leg where the shark’s razor-sharp teeth had torn into the flesh - but things could have been much worse.
He was immediately taken to hospital where he was treated for his injuries.
In the chaos, Stubbs says he initially had no idea he had been bitten by a shark but that he felt panicked after being hit by the creature.
Speaking to 7News, he said: “All of a sudden something hit me, and hit my leg hard, and I thought, ‘What is that?’
“I was very frightened. I really didn't know what to do. It was very instantaneous.”
He also heaped praise on his teammates from his local swimming team who helped bring him back to dry land.
Stubbs added: “Just thinking about it, the whole thing, the whole occasion that arose, I'm just lucky to have that support and the people around me.”
It’s believed that the shark that attacked Stubbs was a Wobbegong, which are not considered deadly to humans and usually lie in sandy or rocky reefs in shallow waters along the coast, according to the Australian Museum.
Following Stubbs’ mauling, officials put a shark alert in place, but just two days later there was another attack.
A 20-year-old surfer was left requiring hospital treatment after being bitten by a great white off the coast of Gnarabup Beach on Monday (24 July).
Like Stubbs, the man sustained an injury to his leg in the attack after the shark chomped down on him.
According to local surfers, the 20-year-old fought back and punched the shark, before putting a tourniquet onto his own leg and swimming back to the beach.
He was subsequently taken to hospital via ambulance, but his current condition has not been reported.
Topics: Animals, Australia, Sharks, Shark Attacks
Claire Reid