Surfer Fights Off Great White Shark With His Bare Hands

Great white sharks have been all over the news this summer, with more encounters at popular beaches. You're more likely to be struck by lightning than attacked by a shark, but confronting a massive fanged fish in the water isn't outside the realm of possibility, especially if you live in a shark hotspot. 

A surfer off Australia's southeast coast learned that lesson the hard way as he had to face a great white head-on—or rather, hands-on. Forty-four-year-old Toby Begg was surfing off Lighthouse Beach in the town of Port Macquarie when he was attacked by a massive great white shark estimated to be between 12 and 14 feet long. But rather than go down without a fight, he seemingly decided to take on the shark with his own two hands. 

"The reports are that a man has tried to fight this shark for 30 seconds and has then swum himself to shore where he has realized he has sustained significant lower leg injuries," Chief Inspector Martin Burke from New South Wales Police said, per 9News. "From what I understand, it was a sustained and prolonged attack."

Related: California Kayaker Attacked by Shark

Begg suffered life-threatening injuries from his hip down to his lower legs and underwent surgery later that day. He was extremely fortunate that an off-duty emergency doctor was one of the people surfing at the beach and immediately sprang into action by helping apply a tourniquet on Begg's leg. 

"To have the absolute luck of having an emergency department doctor on scene are all going to be key things that are going to lend itself to giving this gentleman the best chance of survival," Burke said.

Whether it's summer in the Northern Hemisphere or winter Down Under, wayward sharks can disrupt any peaceful beach day.