Australian man jumps off surfboard to punch shark as it attacked his wife
- Surfer Chantelle Doyle, 35, was attacked by the shark, which measured about two to three metres long, in New South Wales
- Her husband jumped off his surfboard and hit the shark to rescue her
Chantelle Doyle, 35, was attacked by the shark, which measured about two to three metres long, while surfing at Shelly Beach, and suffered severe lacerations to her right leg, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
Surf Life Saving NSW chief executive Steven Pearce said Doyle’s husband jumped off his surfboard and onto the shark, the paper reported.
“This fella paddled over and jumped off his board onto the shark and hit it to get it to release her and then assisted her back into the beach,” Pearce said. “Pretty full on, really heroic.”
He said: “We’ve had some really serious and tragic shark encounters over the past couple of months along the coastline, so to paddle out of your own safety zone, into an area where you know there is a large shark, I think is amazing ... a tremendous act of bravery.”
The Herald, which did not name the husband, said Chantelle Doyle was treated at the scene by bystanders and paramedics and then flown to hospital, where she was in stable condition.
Beaches in the Port Macquarie area were closed after the incident, Surf Life Saving NSW said in a statement, adding it was providing coastal surveillance of the area to help spot the shark.
