Australian surfer kicks shark as it bites his foot

(YouTube)


Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

SYDNEY (AP) — A 20-year-old competition surfer said on Thursday he accidentally stepped on a shark's head before it bit him off the Australian east coast.

Ryan Hunt was recovering in Manning Hospital and awaiting surgery to deep cuts and puncture wounds to his left foot and ankle after he was mauled Wednesday evening while surfing at Wallabi Point, which is 250 kilometers (160 miles) north of Sydney.

Hunt told Nine Network television in a telephone interview from his hospital bed that he had jumped off his board in waist-deep water when he was bitten.

"I caught a wave in, got off, and then stood on a shark's head," Hunt said. "I thought it was a rock at first and then it latched on to my foot."

Hunt kicked the shark off with his right foot but it bit back again, he said. He kicked it a second time before it swam between his legs and away.


I caught a wave in, got off, and then stood on a shark's head. I thought it was a rock at first and then it latched on to my foot.

–Ryan Hunt, surfer


Hunt took himself to shore and a friend helped treat the wounds on the beach, before he was taken to hospital, The Daily Telegraph newspaper reported. Hunt had recently returned from a surfing competition in Japan, the newspaper reported.

Hunt told Nine he did not know what type of shark it was in the murky water, but estimated its head was 25 centimeters (10 inches) wide.

Competitive junior surfer Kirra-Belle Olsson, 13, said a 1-meter (3.5-foot) shark bit her ankle and tried to drag her from her board two weeks ago as she surfed off Avoca Beach, 95 kilometers (60 miles) north of Sydney. Olsson expects to be fit to compete in a national title in December.

Two weeks earlier, surfer Sean Pollard, 23, had part of his arm torn off by a suspected 4-meter (13-foot) great white shark off the coast of Western Australia state near the town of Esperance.

Although sharks are common in Australian waters, the country has averaged fewer than two fatal attacks per year in recent decades.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Most recent World stories

Related topics

World
The Associated Press

    STAY IN THE KNOW

    Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

    KSL Weather Forecast