World | Australia
Diver saved his life by poking shark in the eye
A diver who was almost swallowed head first by a huge shark said yesterday he survived by poking the animal in the eye, and credited the lead-lined vest he was wearing with having saved him from being chomped in half.
- AP
- Published: 00:00 January 25, 2007
Sydney: A diver who was almost swallowed head first by a huge shark said yesterday he survived by poking the animal in the eye, and credited the lead-lined vest he was wearing with having saved him from being chomped in half.
Abalone diver Eric Nerhus, 41, described Tuesday's terrifying attack by a shark estimated by witnesses to be 3 metres long off the fishing town of Eden, about 400 kilometres south of Sydney.
Nerhus was working with his son and other divers collecting the shellfish when the shark struck from nowhere at about eight metres below the surface, grabbing him by the head and shoulders, he said.
"Half my body was in its mouth," Nerhus told Australian television's Nine Network. Nerhus said he fought desperately.
"I felt down to the eye socket with my two fingers and poked them into the socket," he said. "The shark reacted by opening its mouth and I just tried to wriggle out.
"It was still trying to bite me. It crushed my goggles into my nose and they fell into its mouth." He said he managed to finally escape after jabbing at its eye with a chisel he used to chip abalone from rocks.
As he swam to the surface, Nerhus said: "It was just circling around my flippers, round in round in tight circles. ... The big round black eye ... was staring straight into my face with just not one hint of fear."
Share this article
News Editor's choice
-
Saudi Arabia anti-terror force enlisted for Haj
Saudi Arabia's special anti-terror force has for the first time joined security forces deployed for Haj duties with the pilgrimage beginning on Wednesday
-
English to stay as medium of instruction
Lack of funding of scientific research in Arab world criticised
-
Global Village opens with a revamped layout
Four gates will have themes making it easier to find specific pavilions
