Sharks are some of the most ferocious predators in the deep blue. When they spot their next meal,
it’s endgame for their prey. Though unlike what we see in Hollywood movies,
sharks don’t usually attack humans and would much rather eat fishes and other
marine creatures. But when they mistake us for dinner, it’s time to swim for dear life.
Here are 10 Shark Attacks You Won’t Believe! What’s up, fact-natics! This is Discovery Amuse,
serving up your daily dose of the most outrageous, outlandish, and out-of-this-world fun facts!
Stay tuned for our number 1 pick, because it might just ruin your plans for your next beach trip!
Sink your teeth into this! #10: A Diver’s Worst Nightmare
On December 8, 1963, Australian conservationist Rodney Fox dove into the waters of Aldinga Beach
to defend his South Australian Spear Fishing crown. However, in an unfortunate turn of events,
the hunter suddenly became the hunted. Out of the blue, a Great White Shark
clamped its sharp teeth around Fox’s midsection, dragging him around the water.
He was able to free himself from his attacker by gouging its eyes. But the shark was persistent
and kept on coming back for another attempt. After the third attack that nearly drowned Fox, he was
fortunately saved and pulled up onto a boat. The gruesome attack resulted in broken bones,
punctured internal organs, and an exposed abdomen. The only thing that kept his guts from spilling
out was his wetsuit! Fox was able to survive one of the worst shark attacks in the world
with 462 stitches, and a fragment of the shark’s tooth in his wrist.
Keep watching because our number 1 entry is a cautionary tale for parents to keep an
eye on their kids while out on the beach. #9: Don’t Mess with the Wrong Surfer!
Hawaiian surfer Joshua Holley was riding the waves off the coast of Oahu in April 2012,
when he suddenly felt a thud on the left side of his body. When he turned his head to check,
the sight of a 10-foot tiger shark’s dorsal fin waved at him! He then felt something pop
in his foot but was too overcome with the adrenaline rush to feel anything.
At that moment, Holley knew he had to think fast before the shark jumped up from the water
for a brutal attack. When it finally did, he quickly gave the shark a knuckle sandwich,
sending the predator dashing away from him. He even yelled, “I’m not gonna die today!”
Arya Stark would be so proud! #8: Heroic Dolphins
Aside from being quick learners, dolphins are also known for their playfulness and
friendliness when they are around humans. They will even go to great lengths to
protect someone who they think is in danger. This is what a pod of dolphins did for lifeguard
Rob Howes, his 15 year-old daughter, and two of her friends on fateful day in November 2004. Howes
and the kids were swimming off the northern coast of New Zealand when the dolphins began
circling around them trying to herd them closer to each other. A confused Rob tried to escape,
but a pair of bigger dolphins drove him back. He soon realized that the friendly sea mammals
were actually protecting them from a shark that was about to swim towards them from 2 meters away!
Needless to say, Howes and the kids flipped out in gratitude.
#7 Up Close and Personal
In 2012, underwater photographer and conservationist Russell Easton went diving
in the Bahamas armed with his camera to take some snaps of a 12-foot tiger shark. But as luck would
have it, he almost got the wrong kind of snap. As Easton was looking at the viewfinder,
he saw what appeared to be a huge mouth with razor-sharp teeth. Little did he know, the shark
was already attacking his equipment! Oh snap! Perhaps the shark sensed it was being framed
so it had to defend itself. Fortunately, the shark was more
interested in the camera, so Easton had a few extra seconds to swim for his life.
#6: A Sea-nematic Encounter Now this next survival story was so inspiring,
it actually inspired a full-length movie! In October 31, 2005, then-13-year-old Bethany
Hamilton went on a morning surf with her best friend’s family off the coast
of Tunnels Beach in Hawaii. If you think she’s too young to be out surfing, well,
Bethany actually came from a family of surfers and has been catching the waves since she was eight.
But just when Bethany thought she’s already mastered the deep blue sea, on that life-changing
day, a 4.3-meter tiger shark suddenly chomped off a chunk of her board. It all happened so fast that
she wasn’t even aware the shark has severed her left arm like quote-unquote ‘a piece of steak!’
Her words, not mine. She was quickly rushed
to the hospital and luckily survived the attack. Amazingly, the incident didn’t dampen Bethany’s
spirit and just a month after, she went back to her surfboard like a true child of the sea.
#5: Mom vs. Shark A mother's love certainly knows no bounds.
In 2012, Valeh Levy and her 15-year-old daughter Sydney were out paddling on their surfboards at
the New Smyrna Beach in Florida when they faced a horrifying encounter that shook them to the core.
Like a scene straight out of Jaws, Sydney was suddenly pulled underwater by a shark—twice!
Valeh's instincts kicked into high gear. She grabbed Sydney by the shoulders
and pulled her up to the nose of her board. Thankfully, just a few moments later, two surfers
heard their screams and came to the rescue. Kids, do yourselves a favor and
hug your moms today. #4: Trouble in Paradise
Basking in the sun, relaxing on beautiful beaches, and going for a nice swim—this was the kind of
holiday Krishna Thompson and his wife had in mind when they flew to The Bahamas back in 2001 to
celebrate their anniversary. However, someone—or something—wanted to rain on the couple’s parade.
While Krishna was swimming alone in a deep part of the sea, a bull shark
suddenly clamped on his leg and pulled him underwater! When it stopped dragging him around,
Krishna unleashed his inner Muhammad Ali and threw jabs at the shark, making it swim away.
With all the strength he had left, Krishna swam back to shore to get help. He was rushed to the
hospital where doctors had to amputate his badly-injured leg and do blood transfusions,
which ultimately saved his life. #3: Jaws-some Artwork
If you ever wonder how a shark attack in the 1700s looked like, you might want to check
out this masterpiece by American painter John Singleton Copley called “Watson and the Shark.”
The painting shows a 14-year-old cabin boy being rescued by his shipmates from an aggressive shark
that is about to maul him. It is actually based on the real-life shark attack of English merchant
and politician Brook Watson back in 1749. Watson was swimming along the Havana harbor
in Cuba when a shark attacked him not once but twice! The first bite removed the flesh from his
lower right leg, while the second one caused him to lose his right foot. Before the shark
was able to go in for a third attack, Watson’s crew mates were able to pull him up on a boat.
#2: Scarier than Fiction
Dutch-Aussie filmmaker Henri Bource made quite a name for himself when he produced a
documentary film in 1969 about a near-fatal shark attack, titled “Savage Shadows.”
The subject? The filmmaker himself! It all happened in 1964 when Henri
and his two diving partners were swimming around with seals off the coast of Lady
Julia Percy Island in Australia. Out of nowhere, a Great White Shark suddenly
came up from underneath and bit Henri’s leg! In a desperate attempt to break free from the
shark, he punched its throat and gouged its eyes. However, it was too late as the shark
already bit off his leg. Fortunately, the other divers were able to pull Henri up to the boat and
rush him to shore. And as the saying goes, Henri lived to tell the tale.
Before we go to our number 1 pick, do us a solid and make sure to smash the subscribe button and
hit the notification bell! Don’t forget to choose “all” so you won’t miss out on any of our latest
life-changing, boredom-busting content! And of course, be sure to turn on notifications
in your app’s settings! #1: In Shallow Waters
In 2001, a then-8-year-old American boy named Jessie Arbogast and his family were enjoying a day
at the beach off Florida Panhandle when tragedy struck which almost caused the boy his life.
Jessie was swimming in knee-deep water when a 7-foot bull shark snapped off his right arm and a
large portion of muscle from his thigh. His uncle quickly jumped in to stop the attack and tried
to wrestle the shark back to the shore. A park ranger who was nearby then shot and killed it.
The boy was then airlifted to the hospital with EMTS rushing on board an ambulance to bring
his recovered arm. Jessie’s arm was reattached through a surgery that lasted almost 12 hours.
Doctors said the massive blood loss likely affected his brain. In fact, he was still
in a light coma when he was discharged 5 weeks after the incident. A decade later and the kid was
still confined to his wheelchair, with bite marks serving as a reminder of the near-fatal accident.
How about you, have you ever had a close encounter with a real-life shark?
Tell us all about it in the comment section below! Take home any of our exclusive gear by browsing
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And for more terrifying moments in the animal kingdom,
check out our roundup of the 10 Most Dangerous Ocean Creatures in the World!
‘Til then, stay alert, fact-natics! And see you in the next video!