Number 12: Bruce Grimes In 2008, Bruce Grimes was attacked by a vicious
bull shark in Zihuatanejo, Mexico, but swam away with comparably mild injuries. Like many
attacks, this one happened when he was taking a break from the waves and bobbing on his
board. Grimes felt a bump from below and realized immediately that he was in danger. The seasoned
surfer started to paddle slowly back to shore, but he wasn t quick enough. The bull shark
came back up for a second bump, this time gripping his hand and lower arm. Incredibly,
the attacks stopped, allowing an injured Grimes to paddle back to shore for medical care quickly.
100 stitches later, Grimes was almost as good as new, but then he heard some news that rocked
him to his core. A bull shark attacked and killed a man on that very same beach just
the day before, making Grimes mild encounter all the more incredible.
Number 11: Achmat Hassiem In 2006, Achmat Hassiem s heroism cost him
part of his right leg and gave him a newfound respect for the ocean and the animals in it.
Hassiem was training to be a lifeguard in Muizenberg Beach, Cape Town, South Africa
when a 16-foot predator set its sights on his brother. The bloodthirsty great white
was almost as long as your average giraffe is tall, so it took an epic act of bravery
for Hassiem to divert the shark from his brother s path by splashing around and distracting
it. Before the shark could dive and attack his sibling from below, Hassiem successfully
got its attention. Hassiem s brother was rescued, but Hassiem wasn t so lucky. The great white
tore into his leg, severing part of it, but fortunately granting Hassiem his life.
Number 10: Bethany Hamilton In 2003, Hamilton was surfing at Tunnels Beach,
Hawaii, when a massive apex predator the length of your average SUV wrenched off her arm as
it was dangling in the water. Fortunately, her best friend s dad was able to MacGyver
a tourniquet out of a surfboard leash and stabilize Hamilton. Although Hamilton wound
up losing her arm, she did make a full recovery. She was right back in the water 30 short days
later and won her first national title the following year.
Number 9: Hannah Mighall In 2009, Hannah Mighall was surfing in Binalong
Bay, Tasmania, when a freak encounter with a ferocious fish left her reeling. A 16-foot
great white shark latched onto her leg and dragged her beneath the depths, at least two
times, before her cousin Syb smashed the shark over its head repeatedly. Fortunately, the
vicious predator loosened its grip and let 14-year-old Mighall loose, leaving her with
deep wounds all over her upper leg. Thanks to her cousin s quick thinking, Mighall was
able to not only survive the ordeal but make a full recovery.
Number 8: Paul De Gelder The Australian sailor was participating in
a routine Navy exercise when the bull shark ambushed him, severing part of his right arm
and leg. Fortunately, De Gelder had the presence of mind to punch the shark and free himself
from its deadly clutches. Ironically, De Gelder hated sharks before the attack, but he changed
his tune after losing several body parts to one. He began researching how sharks contribute
to our ecosystem and is now an advocate for the very creatures who almost took his life.
Number 7: Matt Bowen Matt Bowen s Australian vacation took a dark
turn in 2009 when he ran afoul of a 10-foot-long bull shark while exploring a shipwreck. The
aggressive animal was as long as two refrigerators stacked end to end, and it wasn t playing
around. Bowen initially thought that his scuba partner was playing a harmless joke on him
but then realized that his calf was entirely in the mouth of the behemoth. Fortunately,
he freed his leg and propelled himself to the surface, where he was rescued and immediately
rushed to the hospital. The lucky Brit was left with a foot-long wound on his leg; no
doubt, not the souvenir he was hoping to bring back home with him.
Number 6: Henri Bource In 1964, Bource was filming seals at Lady
Julia Percy Island near Victoria, Australia, when suddenly the adorable water doggos vanished,
and Bource was left with a different, deadlier subject matter- a great white shark. Bource
directed his crew to keep filming throughout the attack as the shark savaged his left leg.
Although Bource lost his lower leg, he didn t lose his courage and he was right back in
the water a mere 6 weeks later. He also turned his trauma into documentary gold with the
1969 movie Savage Shadows. Number 5: Sir Brook Watson
Sir Brook Watson s ordeal is memorialized in the painting Watson and the Shark, and
his tale lives on in Havana lore to this day. In 1749, when he was just 14 years old, Watson
went for a refreshing dip in the Havana harbor, only to come face to face with one of nature
s most fearsome predators. Unlike many other shark attacks, the brute didn t just bite
Watson; it dragged him underwater, pulling him out into the open sea. Fortunately, luck
was on Watson s side. The harbor was full of boats, and one acted quickly to save his
life. They rushed to his aid in the nick of time, just as the shark was going in for the
third attack. As the shark lunged forward for the death blow, a sailor harpooned the
creature, saving Watson and inspiring one of the greatest paintings of all time.
Number 4: Andrew Carter Andrew Carter is the only known person to
survive a double great white shark attack, and his tale is as harrowing as they come.
In 1994, Carter was surfing off the coast of South Africa when his idyllic morning turned
horrific in a matter of seconds. The shark ambushed Carter from behind, clamping down
on his right leg between his hip and knee and inflicting severe lacerations with jaws
that Carter remembers being at least 4 feet wide. That s as long as your average fourth
grader is tall. While most sharks inflict a test bite and swim away, this monster had
other ideas. It came back for a second round, and miraculously Carter was able to jam his
surfboard in its mouth before surfing, mangled, back to shore. Tragically, Carter s friend
perished in an attack by the same shark, making Carter s story all the more remarkable and
awful. Number 3: Martin Richardson
Richardson was swimming with Red Sea dolphins when a shark decided to join in, but the newcomer
had no intention of playing nice. Instead, the shark latched onto Richardson s left arm,
clamping down twice as Richardson tried in vain to fend it off. With a chunk of his arm
missing, and blood gushing into the water, Richardson was in a dire predicament until
help came in the most unlikely form. The dolphins he was swimming with circled around him, protecting
him from the shark by flapping their fins and shooing the unwelcome predator away. Although
dolphins regularly protect each other this way, it s highly unlikely for them to intervene
on behalf of another creature, making Richardson s experience one for the history books.
Number 2: Todd Endris Todd Endris 2007 tale started off delightful
but then took a devastating turn when a great white brutally attacked him. The 24-year-old
surfer was out in Monterey Bay, California, when he decided to rest about 225 feet from
the shore to watch some frolicking dolphins. His moment of leisure cost him big time when
a great white attacked from below, throwing him a full 15 feet into the air. Before he
could get his bearings or get back on his surfboard, the shark furiously bit his back
and legs. Fortunately, the playful dolphins intervened in a rare act that clearly saved
Endris life. 6 dolphins surrounded him, shielding him from the shark and creating enough of
a diversion that the predator released Endris leg and allowed him to get safely back to
shore. Number 1: Rodney Fox
The Australian-born filmmaker crossed paths with a great white while he was participating
in the South Australian Spear Fishing Championship on Aldinga Beach. The brutal attack left Fox
with a shredded lung, punctured diaphragm, and broken ribs, as well as an astounding
loss of blood. A single shark tooth was even lodged in his wrist. Hundreds of stitches
later, Fox returned to the ocean to study the very animals that had nearly cost him
his life. He designed an underwater observation tank, the first of its kind, to interact with
great white sharks safely and conducted expeditions and research to study the sea s most dangerous
animals. Today, he s a leading conservationist and expert in great white shark behavior,
a fitting and thrilling capstone to his own near-death encounter.
Thanks for watching! Would you rather go head to head with one of Cape Town s notorious
great white sharks or have to fight for your life against 3 aggressive bull sharks? Let
us know in the comments section below.