14 DAY TRIAL // Over the weekend, on Sunday, a man in Australia almost lost his life when he was attacked by a shark while surfing in the waters off the coast of New South Wales.
Panicked, the man fought back and managed to deliver a few well-placed punches. Most likely terribly confused about why his prey was being so temperamental, the shark backed off and swam away.
The man is convinced the shark was trying to kill him
46-year-old Bruce Lucas says that, when it launched its attack, the shark leaped out of the water and grabbed him by his right arm. It then tried to drag him into the deep.
Rather than simply try to pull his arm out of the shark's mouth, Bruce Lucas turned to his attacker and started hitting it with his fists. Eventually, the shark let go of him and disappeared.
“He reached over and punched the shark multiple times with his right fist to make the shark let go,” police inspector Neil Stephens explained in an interview.
Wildlife experts say that, when attacked by a shark, the surest way to escape is to do what 46-year-old Bruce Lucas did: hit is repeatedly. Apparently, blows to the nose and the snout work best.
This is because these body parts are especially sensitive in sharks and, therefore, the animals are hardwired to avoid having them injured, specialists further explain.
Although injured, the man made it back to shore unaided
Once the bull shark that attacked him vanished from sight, Bruce Lucas swam back to his board and managed to make it back to shore unaided, Mirror reports.
Here, lifeguards and beachgoers rushed to his help. He was taken to a local hospital and doctors patched up his wounds. The man is now in stable condition and is expected to make a full recovery.
46-year-old Bruce Lucas believes that the fish that attacked him was a bull shark. Judging by his injuries, however, a local said that it might have been a young great white.
