Husband Punches Great White After It Attacks Partner

Yes, there’s been yet another attack on Australia’s East Coast. In 2020, there have been five fatal shark attacks on Australia’s beaches plus a handful of other close encounters – including one where a shark tried to pull a boy from a boat. 

Yesterday, another incident was added to this ever-growing list. Fortunately, this time it wasn’t fatal.

Nine am yesterday at Shelly Beach in Port Macquarie, a 35-year old woman was attacked by a great white shark while surfing. The shark, estimated to be a juvenile in the two-to-three metre range bit both her right calf and thigh, and would not release. Her husband then paddled over and proceeded to punch the shark until it eventually let go. 

“The shark wouldn’t release her and so a nearby surfer paddled over and essentially jumped on the shark and started hitting it to make it release,” Steven Pearce, the Surf Life Saving NSW chief executive, told The Guardian.

The woman received first aid on the beach by bystanders, including a tourniquet which paramedics highly praised, before being taken to Port Macquarie hospital and flown to John Hunter hospital in Newcastle for surgery shortly after. According to multiple news sources, she thankfully remains in a stable condition in hospital. 

Understandably, the beaches in Port Mac have been closed for 24 hours (as of writing they’ll be re-opening), but both swimmers and surfers will be hyper-aware of the number of attacks this year on the mid-north coast. The NSW surf live-saving chief attributed part of this current trend to whale migration – which obviously attracts sharks – but the current number of encounters is higher than previous years.

Stab hopes the victim makes a full recovery so herself and her partner can make it back in the surf, shark free, as soon as possible.