Stab Magazine | 13-Year-Old Girl Battles 10-Foot Great White In South Africa

Just Wrapped: Finals Day! Stab High Japan 2025 Presented By Monster Energy — Re-watch Below

96 Views

13-Year-Old Girl Battles 10-Foot Great White In South Africa

These ZAF shark headlines are bordering on hysteria. 

news // Jul 19, 2017
Words by Stab
Reading Time: 2 minutes

Fins and breaches have become to the J-Bay Open what tramp stamps and meth are to the U.S. Open. With a shark popping up in Filipe Toledo’s heat yesterday and WSL commish Kieren Perrow calling the comp off today after the Great White air show, the moral of the story is that South Africa’s sharky…but you already knew that. And while we almost expect CT heroes like Mick Fanning to ward off the jaws of death with their fists, it’s a whole different story when a creature in a grey suit tries to steal away a cute, little 13-year-old girl.

Enter the life and times of Zoe Steyn. Surfing this week at Nahoon Reef near East London, the teenager was reportedly sitting on her board about 75 meters offshore when the encounter occurred. Coming up from underneath, the shark, which was estimated to be approximately 10 feet in length, bit into her board.

Screen Shot 2017 07 18 at 12.46.02 PM

Yum.

“I just saw this huge black eye looking straight at me and a huge bang as it took my board and began shaking it,” Steyn told the local press. “It latched on with its jaws just missing my leg and it tipped me backwards and I fell in and I just saw the black shape of it in the water and panicked.”

“I heard another surfer screaming at me to get back on my board and I pulled myself onto it but was terrified of where the shark was and what to do. Then I saw a surfer friend, JP Veaudry, paddling straight out to get me and he told me not to think about the shark but just paddle for all I was worth,” she continued. “He kept asking me if I had been bitten by the shark but I said I didn’t know as I was in a state of shock and adrenaline was just pumping through my body.”

Consider the situation and celebrate the poise of Steyn. She’s only been surfing for three years and has never seen a shark in her life, yet she battled and paddled and came away with nary a scratch. It’s taken Fanning a couple years to put his shark incident behind him. They say kids are resilient; apparently, that’s true as Steyn was back out in the water the next day.

“My memory of it is this big black eye looking straight at me,” she said. “I can’t thank JP enough for risking his life to paddle out and save me and get back to shore. It has taught me never to surf alone ever again.”

Comments

Comments are a Stab Premium feature. Gotta join to talk shop.

Already a member? Sign In

Want to join? Sign Up

Advertisement

Most Recent

Axel Lorentz Steps Down As Head Shaper At Pukas, Starts Eponymous Board Label

What comes after a twelve-year career and five Stab In The Dark finals?

May 28, 2025

Aquatic Outlaws: How Surfing’s Wild West Was Won

Before the Margaret River Pro, there were a few rogue men from Perth.

May 27, 2025

Vale Jack McCoy: The Pillar Of Surf Cinema Passes On At 76

The creator of Blue Horizon, The Occumentary, the Billabong Challenge and more goes out swinging.

May 27, 2025

2025 Belongs To Power Surfing

Jordy Smith notches first multi-win season of his career + Gabriela Bryan overpowers Caity Simmers.

May 27, 2025

Jordy Smith Is The Number 1 Surfer In The World

Yes, in 2025. A Margaret River Pro day 4 report.

May 26, 2025

This Is Why We Do It — Stab High Japan x Monster Energy 2025, Dissected

Hughie Vaughan, Mikey Wright, Sierra Kerr, Loci Cullen, and Eden Walla are your 2025 Japanese…

May 25, 2025

Watch: Finals Day Highlights From Stab High Japan Presented By Monster Energy

Episode Three of Poolside hosted by Kona Big Wave.

May 25, 2025

Re-Watch — Finals Day At Stab High Japan 2025 Presented By Monster Energy

$50,000 in prize money and the biggest chlorinated ramp to ever host a contest. 

May 24, 2025

Watch: Day One Highlights From Stab High Japan Presented By Monster Energy

Episode Two of Poolside hosted by Kona Big Wave.

May 24, 2025

Mikey Wright “Puts The Roof Straight On”, Traps 25 Souls Inside A Japanese Aerial Inferno

A (semi) objective Day 1 report of Stab High Japan 2025 x Monster Energy

May 24, 2025

Watch The Replay — Day One Of Stab High Japan Presented By Monster Energy

Watch the Opening Round of the Open Men's, Ladybirds, and Bottle Rockets.

May 23, 2025

Watch Julian Wilson, Harry Bryant, Mikey Wright, And More Warm-Up For Stab High Japan Presented By Monster Energy

Episode One of Poolside, brought to you by Kona Big Wave.

May 23, 2025

Matt Meola On Archery, Not Surfing, And Why He Doesn’t Regret Sacrificing $15k At Last Year’s Aerial Altar

"It was for the good of surfing."

May 23, 2025

Watch: New Occy Just Dropped

Cloudbreak, Bells, and an ageless approach from the '99 World Champ.

May 22, 2025

Who’s Going To Win Stab High Japan Presented By Monster Energy?

Yago Dora, Luke Cederman, Coco Ho, Kaipo Guerrero, Curren Caples, Liam O’Brien, and more share…

May 22, 2025

Molly Picklum On Aisle Seat Warfare, Beating The Red-Eye + Not Melting Down In Transit

The Australian Queen of Sunset’s guide to travel, courtesy of Creatures.

May 21, 2025

We Got What We Asked For — Did The Box Deliver?

And why some CT women were pissed they didn't run.

May 21, 2025

Toby Cregan Drops Another Cult Classic — Rage 5

Five self-funded films in 10 years? That’s Quik-level execution on the Vonzipper budget.

May 21, 2025
Advertisement