In 1963, freestyle diver, Rodney Fox, was taking part in a spear-fishing competition off the South Australian coast. While diving without oxygen, Fox was grabbed around the middle by a great white shark. Fox fought the shark hard, getting free at one point and having the shark return to bite him again. Fox then wrapped his arms around the beast and was taken for a terrifying ride under the sea as the shark tried to shake him off. The shark had Fox's arm in his mouth, and when he pulled the arm out, his skin was shredded from the bone. Finally, after very nearly drowning, Fox got free and was pulled into a boat. His bones were visible on his right hand and arm, and his rib cage, lungs, and upper stomach were all completely exposed. His rescuers kept his wetsuit on, which kept his internal organs from spilling out, ultimately saving his life. Fox underwent four hours of surgery and received 462 stitches to put his skin back together, but he is still alive today to tell his tale of surviving an attack from one of the world's greatest predators. (Source | Photo)


In 2003, Bethany Hamilton was age 13. She was Hawaii's top female surfer in her age group and one of the best in the United States before being attacked on the morning of Halloween by a 14-foot tiger shark. Bethany was lying on her surfboard with her left arm dangling in the water when the shark came up from below and bit off her arm at the shoulder. Her friends were able to apply a tourniquet and get help, but she lost over 60 percent of her blood and endured many surgeries in order to recover.

Remarkably, losing her arm did not dissuade Hamilton from surfing, and within a month of her attack she was back on her surfboard. In 2005, Hamilton won her first national title at the National Scholastic Surfing Association National Championships. Her story later became the basis for a big budget Hollywood movie called "Soul Surfer." (Photo)


Just ten days after getting married, British honeymooners Ian and Gemma Redmond were enjoying a tropical beach vacation in Seychelles, when tragedy struck. Thirty-year-old Ian Redmond was snorkeling just twenty yards off shore while his new wife sunbathed on the beach. Redmond was attacked by a shark, which bit off one arm and destroyed one of his legs. It is thought that Redmond died instantly, though he was quickly pulled from the water into a boat, and a doctor on the beach applied first aid until emergency medical crews arrived. Redmond's hysterical new wife was restrained by the crowds of people on the beach while workers attempted to save her husband. (Source | Photo)

Twenty-eight year old Hawaiian resident Joshua Holley was surfing at his favorite spot off the coast of Oahu, Hawaii's North Shore, when a 10-foot tiger shark bit his left foot. Instinctively realizing what he needed to do, Holley hauled off and punched the shark twice in the face, and the shark swam away. Holley suffered some severed tendons in his foot which required 42 stitches to repair, but the shark did not bite any major arteries. In spite of his attack, Holley says he will return to the water and feels no animosity towards the shark, saying, "You have to remember when you're in the ocean you have to respect the ocean, that's where they eat, live, breed; we're just visitors in their home." (Source | Photo)


Conservationist and professional underwater photographer and diver, Russell Easton, was photographing a 12-ft tiger shark in the Bahamas when suddenly his camera's viewfinder showed a huge mouthful of sharp teeth! The shark bit into Easton's camera, so the diver shoved the camera further into his mouth and was able to swim away to safety.

Despite the terrifying incident, the diver says he doesn't think the shark was trying to hurt him; rather, the shark was just trying to figure out what he was by using his mouth like we would use our hand. (Source | Photo)


While on a training swim about 100 metres off Ocean Beach near Whangarei on the North Island of New Zealand, lifeguard Rob Howes said he and three female lifeguards were surrounded by a pod of dolphins who were acting very strangely. The dolphins circled around the swimmers and began beating the water with their fins, causing the water to be a churning mass of dolphins and bobbing human heads. Howes managed to get outside the circle of dolphins, and that's when he spotted a huge great white shark a short distance away. As the shark moved closer to the women in the water, the dolphins became even more agitated and "went into hyperdrive." The shark finally swam away when a rescue boat approached, but the dolphins did not leave the scene until all of the swimmers were safely back on dry land. (Source | Photo)


In 1964, Henri Bource and two other divers were swimming with seals in the ocean off Lady Julia Percy Island in Australia, when a great white shark suddenly appeared and bit off his leg at the knee. His diving partners got Bource onto the boat, and incredibly, the rescue was videotaped.

Bource was an amateur underwater photographer and filmmaker, and he eventually took the film footage from the attack and reconstructed the other parts for a documentary called "Savage Shadows."
(Source | Photo)


On Aug. 4, 2001, while vacationing with his wife on Grand Bahama Island, Wall Street banker Krishna Thompson was attacked by a shark and dragged out to sea. When the shark pulled him under the water, Thompson knew he had to take action to save his own life, so he pried the shark's mouth open and punched it twice in the nose. The shark released him and he was able to get himself to shore, but sadly his leg was so damaged it had to be amputated.

Now, nearly ten years after his attack, Thompson has become an advocate for the preservation of the species, saying that "Sharks set the balance for the whole ocean." (Source 1 | Source 2 | Photo)


In April 2012, a production crew for the National Geographic channel was filming the television reality show "Shark Men" off the coast of South Africa. Reportedly, they were attracting sharks to the area by dumping gallons of fish parts ("chum") into the water. The production company had permits for chumming and filming, however, just a few days after chumming the waters, a local 20-year-old champion body boarder named David Lilienfeld was killed by a 13-to-16-foot shark in waters that had not previously seen shark activity since 1999.

Local residents were outraged, and the show's research permit was immediately revoked. The show "Shark Men" continues to receive criticism and has been cancelled. (Source | Photo)


In March of 2012, a mother and her 15-year-old daughter were sitting on their surfboards off the coast of New Smyrna Beach in Florida when a shark suddenly pulled the teen underwater. Acting quickly, Valeh Levy grabbed her daughter Sydney by the shoulders and pulled her up onto her own surfboard. The shark continued to circle until rescuers heard the mother's screams for help and chased it away. The teenager required surgery on her foot, but is expected to make a full recovery. (Source | Photo)

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Original article can be found here.