A 20-year-old man who was attacked by an 11ft (3.5 metres) shark has revealed how he managed to flee the animal.
On Thursday, 19 May at around 10:00am, Bailey Haffner was cleaning a boat in Swan River at Matilda Bay near to the Perth Yacht Club in Western Australia.
However, a sudden bump caused him to fall off into the water.
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Upon turning around, the 20-year-old diver came face-to-face with a massive bull shark.
Bailey explained how the shark had 'come up basically on top of [him]' on his 'right-hand side'.
He told told Perth Now: "It all happened in a split second and the shark has come in basically over the top of me on the right hand side. He sort of came down and had a fair bit of force in him.
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"It was quite a decent thump. He pushed me off into some open space water... and all of a sudden I’ve seen this big fat head.
“At that stage [I] was in a bit of shock. As he [the shark] turned around and faced me, I saw his big nose with all the dimples on it and I saw how girthy it was and that was me out of the water and that was me done for the day."
Fortunately, Bailey was able to scare the shark away and has since shared his ingenious tactic.
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He told 7News: "You wear a regulator scuba diving, so I’ve taken that out of my mouth and held it free flow because sharks hate bubbles, apparently. That must’ve worked for me.
"There wasn’t too much thinking except get out."
After fleeing the shark and getting to dry land, Bailey explained how he phoned his dad.
"I gave my dad a call and said ‘dad I’ve just been knocked around by a shark," he said.
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The 20-year-old also alerted other people on the jetty 'just to let them know in case they planned to have a quick afternoon dip in the water'.
Stuart Walton, Royal Perth Yacht Club's general manager, reflected how he hadn't seen a bull shark near the yacht club for more than two years.
Despite his close encounter, Bailey revealed his plans to go back to cleaning boats the very next day after the incident.
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He said: "This time I’m going to bring along my trusty shark shield.
"I’ll probably dangle a spare one off the boat too just to settle my nerves a little."
People have since been warned to be wary of the Matilda Bay area.
The situation is being monitored by DPIRD fisheries officers.
Bailey reflected: "I’ve come out very lucky, not a single mark on me."
Walton echoed: "He is lucky because they [bull sharks] can be very aggressive."
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Topics: Animals, Australia, World News
