Dramatic encounter off Kangaroo Island
On Kangaroo Island off the south coast of Australia, an incident occurred on Tuesday that would make even experienced surfers' blood run cold: 57-year-old surfer and tour guide Lee Berryman was attacked multiple times by a shark while surfing in the well-known surf zone "The Sewer" in D'Estrees Bay. As Berryman had just ridden a wave and was paddling back into the line-up, he suddenly felt a strong bite on his left thigh.
Despite the shock and further bites, he managed to fend off the shark with loud shouts and punches to its snout. "I screamed, showed my teeth, hit it," Berryman later described his reaction to the predator, which is believed to have been a bronze whaler shark.
With his last strength to the shore and to the hospital
Severely injured but with remarkable willpower, Berryman fought his way back to the rocks on his kneeboard, even though the shark returned several more times. "It felt like half an hour, but it was probably only four minutes," he reports. He even experienced a seal diving behind him during the attack, apparently to distract the shark.
After arriving at the shore, Berryman drove himself to the hospital in Kingscote—an extraordinary feat considering he had sustained three deep bite wounds to his leg and later required around 50 stitches. According to police, Berryman's condition was serious but not life-threatening. Experts urge caution: bronze whaler sharks can weigh up to 300 kilograms and grow over three meters long; while they are generally not considered aggressive towards humans, incidents like this show that dangerous misunderstandings can occur, especially when seals ar
The incident caused dismay in the local surfing community, as such shark attacks in South Australia are rare but not unprecedented. Authorities warned other swimmers and surfers about further danger in the region. Lee Berryman is now on the road to recovery—and his courage is unlikely to be forgotten any t
