An Australian surfer managed to survive a shark attack with the help of his surfboard. On Monday, August 18, Brad Ross was surfing at Cabarita Beach around 7:30 AM, according to The Sydney Morning Herald, when a shark took a huge bite out of his board.
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Shark Bites Surfboard In Half, Leaving Surfer Unscathed
The large chomp cracked the surfer’s board in half, showing just how deadly the bite would’ve been if that were his body. 18 Seconds shared a photo of the gnarly shark bite on Instagram.
Video footage of the incident showed Ross splashing madly in the water before the bite. It’s a miracle that he managed to escape; even beach bystanders were shocked.
A local yoga teacher, Kym Falvey, spoke to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation about the incident. “The man was sitting on his board and the shark literally bit the board behind his butt,” said Falvey.
“The board just popped, like it exploded, and it flew up in the air and by this time there was a man up on the rocks going, ‘Oi, come in.'”
The surfer didn’t stop paddling away until he was on dry sand. This is because the shark had come right up into the shallows, so not even that area was safe.
Similar Shark Attacks This Summer
In response to the alarming incident, Tweed Shire Council made a statement. “We’ve been advised by NSW Surf Life Saving that Cabarita Beach at Norries Headland is currently closed due to a shark bite incident earlier this morning,” it said.
“No one was injured during the incident. We will provide more information as it comes to hand.”
Swimmers and surfers should now be safe from this animal. 10 News reported that the 5-meter-long shark was caught and released in a safer area.
This shark attack came just weeks after another shark bit a 16-year-old boy in late June. A volunteer surf lifesaver helped treat the teen after the attack.
After the shark tried to drag the boy underwater, he kicked the shark and swam away. He was soon transferred to Gold Coast Hospital to recover from bite wounds in his right arm and leg.