Sharks bite off more than they can chew when it comes to Australians

Published on Monday 12 January 2009 21:14

IT IS the stuff of nightmares and horror films. Giant jaws filled with razor-sharp teeth gape out of the sea towards the doomed swimmer, who flails helplessly with no hope of escape.

But now it seems humans have found a way to fight back against an attacking shark: by punching their attacker on the nose.

Three Australians have been injured by sharks over the past two days, and all have escaped with their lives, defying the commonly-held belief that surviving such an attack is unlikely.

Yesterday, 24-year-old Steven Foggarty felt a bull shark lock its jaws around his leg while he was snorkelling in waters in southern New South Wales.

He reacted by landing a punch on the shark's face. "I just turned and started swinging," he said. "I think I got one on him.

"I just saw the blood all over both feet and had a quick look to make sure both legs were there and they were there."

He suffered 50 puncture wounds to his calf and wrist.

On Sunday, Syb Mundy used a similar technique to rescue his 13-year-old cousin, Hannah Mighall, from the jaws of a 16ft white pointer shark, which attacked her while they were surfing in Tasmania.

The girl was dragged underwater twice, but Mr Mundy, 20, punched the creature in the head, before dragging Hannah on to his surfboard and paddling to the beach.

He said it was like "hitting a brick wall – it was that dense".

He added: "It was easily the length of a car. It was just a monster. I can remember seeing the eye come out of the water and the head, and I was going to try and poke it in the eye if I could get close enough."

Also on Sunday, Jono Beard, 31, survived a shark bite and paddled himself to shore with a 16in gash in his left thigh.

George Burgess, director of the Florida programme for shark research, said punching was a good technique for escaping from a shark.

"The tip of the nose of the shark is generally the sensitive area," he told The Scotsman.

"They are not used to having that happen so they stop and move away because it's startling."

He said poking the shark in the eye could also work.

"If you are actually under attack and in the mouth of the shark and in hand -to-hand combat for your life, that's the place I would try to claw at with my hands," he said.

However, he advised that playing dead was not a good tactic. "Sharks respect power and strength. If you played dead, you would be dead."

He added that there was no evidence to suggest sharks targeted humans, but believes attacks are the result of misidentification.

There have been 60 fatal shark attacks in Australian waters during the past 50 years , according to the Australian Shark Attack File.

FACT BOX

How to avoid a shark attack:

1 Always swim in a group. Sharks most often attack lone individuals.

2 Don't wander too far from shore, where you will be far from help.

3 Avoid the water at night, dawn, or dusk, when sharks are most active and most difficult to see.

4 Don't enter the water if bleeding. Sharks can smell blood.

5 Don't wear shiny jewellery, which may look like fish scales.

6 Avoid waters being fished. Diving seabirds are good indicators.

7 Don't enter the water if sharks are present. Leave immediately if sharks are seen.

8 Try not to splash about, and keep pets out of the water. Erratic moves can attract sharks.