Cousin saves girl, 13, in shark attack
We'll have to add this gentleman to our long list of heroes. To get an idea of what he faced, click here and take a look at that shark's mouth and teeth.
From Cousin saves girl, 13, in shark attack (The Age [Australia], 1/12/09):
THE older cousin of a teenage girl attacked by a shark in Tasmania showed extreme bravery in punching the shark and bringing the girl safely to shore, police said.
The girl, 13, was surfing with her male cousin at Binalong Bay, near St Helens, in Tasmania's north-east when the five-metre white pointer latched on to her right leg about 3.45pm yesterday.
The shark dragged the girl under water twice before her cousin reached the scene on his surfboard and hit the shark, causing it to let go, said Senior Sergeant Jason Elmer of St Helens Police.
The cousin, a man in his 20s from Queensland, pulled the teenager up on to his surfboard and paddled towards the shore.
The shark followed and circled the frightened pair. At one stage they caught a wave, but the shark was in the same wave, said Senior Sergeant Elmer, who arrived on the scene shortly after the attack. "They managed to get to shore," he said. "There's a significant bite out of the surfboard. I understand there was a fair bit of blood in the water."
The girl, whose injuries are not believed life-threatening, was taken to St Helens District Hospital and later flown to Royal Hobart Hospital.
Senior Sergeant Elmer said of the victim's cousin: "He's done a magnificent job. He's extremely brave in his actions. He's probably saved her life."
The shark attack was the second in Australia yesterday. Earlier a man, 31, surfing at Fingal Headland on the NSW far north coast, was also bitten on the leg.
The man, from Brisbane, was surfing near Tweed Heads about 9.30am when the shark bit him on his upper left thigh.
He was flown to Gold Coast Hospital where he was in a stable condition.
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