Zachary Hlaing, age 15, was surfing off the coast of Mandurah, Western Australia, early Tuesday morning when the unthinkable happened. “I just felt something grab my leg and then it kind of shook it a little bit and let go,” he told reporters.
The shark bit into his left leg and left six deep cuts. The shark swam off after biting Hlaing, who began bleeding and started to go into shock. But he was able to paddle to shore.
Daily Mail UK
“(It) didn’t really hurt or anything because I was still in shock,” Hlaing said. He had ‘several pieces of the shark’s tooth or possibly bone’ lodged in his leg and will require surgery to remove the fragments, according to The West Australian. Hlaing recalled the incident for a local news station here.
Jay Reeves, a local surfer who happened to be nearby on Pyramids Beach, about 52 miles south of Perth, took Hlaing to hospital after the incident. According to reports, he called the 15-year-old the “gnarliest little dude” for staying composed the whole time.
“’I ran over as he’s come out with blood dripping so I put him on my back and ran to the car,” Reeves recalled. “I got his foot wrapped up in a towel and chucked him in the car and took him straight to hospital.”
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Western Australian authorities believe the shark was up to two meters, (6.5 feet), but have not identified its species. The city of Mandurah rangers have subsequently closed the beach up to one kilometer from where the incident happened.
Hlaing told media outlets after being treated that he was still eager to get back in the water, but perhaps not at Pyramids for some time.
“I’ve been surfing pretty much my whole life because Dad got me into it and we live near the beach, so it’s pretty much all I do in the summer,” he said. “Maybe I won’t go to the same spot for a while but as soon as I can I’ll be out there.”
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