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07th Dec 2020

Australian surfer survives attack from great white shark

Alan Loughnane

shark attack Australia

The man is optimistic about making a full recovery.

An Australian surfer managed to paddle back to shore and walk hundreds of metres to get help after he was attacked by a great white shark.

The 29-year-old man had been enjoying a day of surfing on Kangaroo Island, off Australia’s southern coast, when he was attacked by the shark.

He said it was like being “hit by a truck”.

The man had serious lacerations to his back, backside and legs, and minor lacerations to his arm from the jaws of the shark.

“I was sitting on my board when I felt a hit on my left side,” the surfer wrote in a statement. “It was like being hit by a truck.”

“It bit me around my back, buttock and elbow, and took a chunk out of my board. I got a glimpse of the shark as it let go and disappeared.”

The surfer made his way back to shore and received help from an off-duty paramedic and was met by paramedics while on route to the island’s main city of Kingscote.

South Australia Police said the man’s injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

“I’m feeling incredibly lucky and grateful, and I’m optimistic I’ll make a full recovery,” the man said.

Clip via 7NEWS Australia

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