Stories1 min(s) read
Published 07:41 11 May 2020 GMT
Just when we all thought it was safe to go back in the water...
A surfer has narrowly escaped death after being bitten by a shark when attacked at an Australian beach. The 23-year-old French tourist was able to survive the attack after punching the shark in the face.
Dylan Nacass was lucky to be left with only minor lacerations to his leg after surfing at the Bell's Beach spot in Torquay, Victoria on Friday.
Heart-stopping footage shows the backpacker screaming for help and kicking his legs while lying on his surfboard.
You can see the close encounter in the news report below:
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After hearing his cries for help, Matthew Sedunary - a local of the area - paddled out to meet Nacass, and can be seen alongside him in the video.
The shark can then be seen surfacing behind the pair as they desperately paddled back towards the shore.
Speaking to Nine News, Sedunary said he didn't realize just how serious the situation was when he first heard Nacass shouting for help. He said: "At first I just thought he was having a laugh with his mates... Then I saw the fin."
Nacass revealed that after being bitten on the leg, he was able to land two punches on the shark's face, enabling him to escape. He said: "I punched him one time, he stays in my legs. Two times, after, he go."
Speaking to the Geelong Advertiser, Nacass also revealed that he doesn't plan on letting the experience stop his love for surfing, and revealed: "In one week, when my leg is okay, I will go surfing at the same spot.
"I fight with him and it's OK, I'm alive. Everything is good.
"I have my legs most importantly."
Related - A spearfisherman survives a close encounter with a great white shark:
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Sedunary added that he never realized just how close the shark had been until he watched the footage back, saying:
"When we're paddling in and you can see the shark behind I didn't know it was still there. It was tempting to go straight back out because it was pretty decent.
"But glad I didn't because it hung around and bumped another guy."
The video was captured by another local who had been recording a friend surfing, but turned his camera when he heard the Nacass' cries for help.
