Posted on 11/01/2010 3:39:33 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Man grabs shark by tail to stop attack on teen diver
An Australian swimmer who grabbed the tail of a large shark as it attacked a snorkelling tour guide likely saved the young woman's life, a rescuer said Sunday.
Nineteen-year-old Elyse Frankcom was leading a swimming with dolphins encounter in waters off western Australia on Saturday when a shark, reportedly a three-metre-long great white, bit into her hip and buttocks.
"As the shark bit her, it brushed aside a fairly large male who grabbed hold of the tail of the shark, which then made it let go," one of the first rescuers on the scene, Fremantle Sea Rescue senior skipper Frank Pisani, said.
"The girl then started to sink to the bottom and he grabbed her and brought her to the surface and got her back on board the boat. He certainly was instrumental in making this a good outcome."
The shark attacked as Frankcom led an expedition off Garden Island about 50 kilometres from Perth. The Perth Now website said that there were two dolphins by Frankcom's side when she duck-dived into the seven-metre deep water and a shark came up from the bottom and bit into her.
It said that 33 people, including three children, were on board the boat at the time of the attack. Frankcom has had surgery for her injuries and was in a stable condition in hospital Sunday, and was expected to be released soon.
Media reports said the unnamed hero refused to speak to journalists when the tour boat returned to dock. "All I want is the girl to be OK," he reportedly said.
Sharks are a common feature of Australian waters but fatal attacks are rare, with only 53 fatalities in the last half-century, according to the Australian Shark Attack File.
Lord bless this guy.
I applaud the man on 3 counts.
1) solid brass gonads to be envied by any real man
2) not panicking in the adrenalyn filled after math to get the girl to the boat
3) not taking credit.
I salute you Mr. Grab the Shark by the Tail. I wish I could buy you a beer, or 10.
Mebbe he has some legal problems he’d prefer to keep to himself.
Did he leave a silver bullet....
I think he already did.
Or maybe he's seen what happens to people who get invaded by the MEDIA.
Lit on fire, then when burned out, discarded in the trash.
Gee, this guy does something almost uncriticizable, but you still found a way to cast doubt on his character.
The dolphins had their ‘heads’ (or at least eyes) out of the water. They were occupied with the girl, and the crowd. They didn’t know the shark was around.
The girl dived underwater and that was when the shark attacked.
Wow there is a real hero! God Bless.
Fine. This incident wasn't fatal and so didn't contribute AT ALL to the figure they are citing.
How rare is it for a Shark to come up and take a non-fatal bite? Medium-rare? Well done?
How common is it for a shark to come up and BITE YOU. I mean, sure, most shark attacks are non fatal and you will have hella scars to show off..... but come on.
Girl lost a hand surfing a couple years ago. Still goes out there. She should get that shark to swallow a clock.... “e got a taste o’ me flesh, n es hungered for it ever since!”
“How rare is it for a Shark to come up and take a non-fatal bite? Medium-rare? Well done?”
In this case, Sheila Tartar.
Good on this guy.
Had a Great White Tooth removed from her posterior!
Trevor is quite the guy!
That'll make quite the keepsake, I'm sure. Would make an excellent pendant. A conversation piece for years to come...
Good on this fellow. Grabbing a 12-ft Great White... just damn... I can only hope I might have that sort of courage when the time comes.
LOL! Perhaps in the witness protection program!
From the headline, it looked like it was going to be one of those gruesome but unintentionally funny stories about how the “hero” wound up eaten by another shark. And then his TV show would be cancelled, and the last episode never aired.
She must have done something wrong! Great whites are peaceful animals which never hurt anyone! ;’)
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