Warning: This article contains graphic images and video which some readers may find distressing.
With only a tiny knife at his disposal, one man was left to fight off a bloodthirsty shark that 'minced' open his arm.
Diver Angus Kockott, 20, was working on a sailboat travelling across the Pacific Ocean with his best friend Declan on 23 May.
Advert
After the pair docked up in Mangareva in the Gambier Islands, they headed to a remote atoll reef to practice freediving for an upcoming spearfishing competition.
However, when Declan began to throw weights into the ocean to practice his deep diving, Angus spotted an 'aggressive' two-and-a-half-metre shark moving behind him.
The 20-year-old, from East London in South Africa, said: "I was just enjoying the scenery and fish and was oblivious. Then, in the corner of my left eye, I see something in my peripherals.
"This big shape is moving behind me. I swing my body to the left to turn and I see the shark coming right at me from below.
Advert
"I could tell it was about to do something because it had his mouth half open and it was on me within seconds.
"It was bigger than me, so close to two-and-a-half metres long. I don't know exactly what shark it was but personally, I think it was a grey reef shark.
"The only thing that was going through my head at the time was that the shark was very aggressive and I had to react quickly.
"It was in full charge mode ready to bite me. As soon as it got close to me it closed its eyes and as soon as it did this, I knew it was going to bite me.
Advert
"I knew there was going to be some serious fighting for me. It was going straight for my neck so I put my left arm across to soften the blow and before I knew it, it was ripping my arm apart.
"It was clamped between my wrist and my elbow and bit down on this and shredded my arm in seconds.
"As soon as it bit down on me, I remember my whole arm going numb as it shredded through some of my nerves."
On how his mini pocket knife saved his life, the shark attack survivor explained: "In seconds I had my safety knife in my hand and I locked eyes with the gills of the shark and went crazy at it.
Advert
"I had to do something to get it off my arm before it broke through my bones because I could feel it crunching through my arm.
"I gave it a few really hard stabs with all my strength and then it let go. I'm not sure what happened to the shark but I was left in the water completely shredded with my bone exposed.
"There was so much blood around me. I swam as fast as I could out of the area and luckily I managed to get away without being nailed by the shark again because that would have been it for me. I would not have survived that."
Post-surgery, Angus says he has been 'left with four big holes' in his arm.
Advert
"The surgeons did an insane job," the diver added.
"Nerves heal very slowly and even if my nerve heals in the way they expect it to, they said it will take about a year-and-a-half to do so. Even then I'll still be left with extensive physical damage in that part of my arm.
"It has not put me off becoming a skipper and getting back in the water. I would go tomorrow if I could.
"I love diving, swimming and I surf a lot too. Facing the fact that I might not have been able to do this again was really tough but I'll have to make do. It's part of the risk of doing what I love.
"I'd like to say that I hold no grudge against sharks. I don't blame an animal for doing what a wild animal does.
"Unfortunately, I got caught off guard and usually I have a bit more time to prepare for an instance like this but it was very freakish and things like this only happen once in a couple million."
Topics: Shark Attacks, Sharks, Animals
Anish Vij