Surfer Survives Shark Attack in Elliston

Surfing two clicks offshore can certainly have its pitfalls, especially when you’re in South Australia.  An Elliston man was greatly inconvenienced yesterday when he made the long paddle out to his local reef, only to be greeted by the lineup’s ultimate regulator – a 15 foot great white shark. Andrew McLeod, 35, told The Australian he was understandably “rooted” after being flung metres in the air by ol’ white death, forcing him to scratch back to shore. “I was about 15 metres from the peak, just getting my breath back so I could catch a wave if one came through, when I just felt this massive force and heard this massive sound,” Andrew said. “I went flying and (friend) Ty thinks that the shark might have totally breached the surface because there was a huge splash. After I climbed back on my board I saw its tail fin right next to me and it must have been five foot high. I’d say the shark was 15 foot long. I yelled out, “it’s a pointer!’” Andrew was surfing with mate Tyrone Swan (one half of the ‘duct tape surfing’ duo), and Oakley Big Wave finalist Sam Jervis. With a few bite marks out of his board and a complimentary dash of shark juice, Andrew caught a wave on his guts before the trio began paddling back to the southern end of Waterloo Bay. “Then it was a very fast paddle back to the shore, but I was totally rooted because I’d only just got out there,” says Andrew. Yikes. Bigger boat needed, etc.