Lost Australian diver swam miles to shore stalked by shark

A very fishy story....Sakanafish!

Many would have given in to the overwhelming fear and given up. Kudos to him.

Sakanafish- yours was one of the most horrific attempts at humour I’ve read in at least a year. Brutal.

badman- you would have drowned yourself out of fear??

have I read that right?

Don't pee. Uric acid in pee, sweat, etc attracts sharks.

It's a good thing he had a spear gun. It might've been the only thing that would've saved him had the shark attacked.

With full diving gear on and a weapon, I'd make an attempt to swim back to shore.

I've talked with a couple Aussies here in Japan who were surfers and I asked them if they had any shark stories. One guy told me he was out quite a ways from the beach sitting there on his surfboard on glasslike conditions waiting for a wave when a really big dorsal fin broke the surface a few feet away and dove back under. I asked him, "What did you do?" And he told me, "I stayed perfectly still while wondering where it might be." Another Aussie told me that he and a few of his mates were out a ways from the beach sitting on their boards (also in glasslike conditions) waiting for some waves and chatting when suddenly one them went flying a few meters straight up into the air. The whole group was stunned and staring at the huge white underbelly of a great white shark with their friend flying in the air directly above the thing. He said the Great White came straight up out of the water like a missile. He also described its belly as being pure white like snow. "What did you do?" I asked. His response, "We were screaming Shark! and swam like crazy back to shore." Luckily their friend was OK but pretty shaken up. The shark experts came to investigate and told them that the shark more than likely mistook their friend for some kind of prey like a seal or something and got a painful surprise as it slammed its nose on the bottom of his surfboard and swam off.

Surprisingly, these stories don't scare these surfers enough and stop them from going back out again. After hearing these stories I'd be afraid to go a few feet out from the beach down there. Lots of big sharks down under as well as brave surfers.

Barbie time!

8km through shark infested waters? I don’t think there’s too much worse than that..

8km through shark infested waters? I don’t think there’s too much worse than that..

Look up the fate of the crew of the USS Indianapolis or the Japanese retreat of Ramree island.

@BeerDelieryGuy: Very nice examples of some truly shocking animal nightmares, however those 2 have the sort of comfort of at least being part of a large group, while this guy was by himself for 8km through known dangerous waters, while also being stalked by at least 1 shark, likely thinking he was going to die at any point for the entire journey

Dutch sailors noticed sharks in Shark Bay 400 years ago and called it 'Shark Bay'. Spear fishing! That is like saying 'Lunch is ready'. Not clear if he had scuba gear or not, but seems to have been alone (PADI people would have something to say about that). You may call him lucky, but lots of others would call him silly.

If sharks called open season on surfers and divers the same way some people call for open season on sharks, the marine sporting population would disappear in a day. They don't. They just go about their business doing what sharks do. People can take that or leave that. Unlike John Craig, I prefer to leave it.

dcog9065, good point, but I think it is debatable whether being stalked alone or watching your friends being picked off one by one is more frightening.

Don't pee. Uric acid in pee, sweat, etc attracts sharks.

Just about every time I find myself in the company of a shark while in the water, I pee myself a little. Sometimes a lot, depending on the circumstances. But every study I've read on the subject has pretty much come to the conclusion that human urine doesn't even register in the shark's database. Most sharks eat fish, Tiger sharks even eat other sharks, their senses are geared for fish. Human pee and even human blood just don't ring the dinner bell quite like a little fish juice.

Main thing with sharks is to keep your wits about you and stay calm. Move in a smooth confident manner and don't act like a injured fish. Freaking out and getting all thrashy and splashy is just asking to get bit.

I've been followed by sharks, had them circle me and I have even been bumped a couple of times and every time, I peed myself. Maybe it was all the Guinness in my urine but they always seemed to calm down a little once I let go.

Kuya 808, I was told by a professional yachtsman, that sharks are curious and will investigate unusual scents. Whether they will investigate further and take a probing bite is up to luck.

Anyhow, I also surf in Japan, the US, and South Pacific.

Fortunately, my encounters with sharks have always ended well. I’ve seen 2m hammerheads in Chiba, but the local fisherman say there’s enough fish and carrion in the water, so they don’t bother humans.

When I saw a gang of reef tip or mako sharks in Bali, the guide said “is Ok! Bali shark vegetarian.”