Jason Cull, 37, was swimming about 80m off Middleton Beach in Western Australia when the shark, estimated at about 4m long, approached.
'Initially I thought it was a dolphin but it was much bigger,' Cull told reporters. 'When it came up and banged straight into me, I realised what it was.'
As he punched at it, the shark took hold of Cull's left leg and started to pull him under. Fortunately, he had the presence of mind to seek out a weakness. 'I felt along it, I found its eye and I poked it in the eye and that's when it let go,' Cull said. But as he swam backstroke towards the shore, shouting warnings as he went, the shark continued to circle him.
'Whenever it swam behind the blood cloud I couldn't see it clearly,' he said. 'I kept getting a breath of air, then putting my head under water to keep an eye on where it was and eventually it took more of an interest in two other swimmers and swam towards them.' They reached shore safely after linking arms and kicking out as the shark approached.
Cull was helped from the sea by 50-year-old Joanne Lucas, the manager of a local campsite and a volunteer surf club lifeguard, who bravely swam out 10m to help him. 'I don't think I would have made it the rest of the way by myself,' said Cull, who recalled that he had started 'feeling woozy' as he swam.
Cull had sustained deep lacerations to his calf. He was given first aid and oxygen on the beach, before being airlifted to hospital in Albany, where he underwent surgery.
Air reconnaissance of the scene logged three great whites cruising in the bay, perhaps having been drawn in by schooling fish. Beaches were closed temporarily.
Some 15 shark attacks occur each year in Australian waters, one or two being fatal. The latest death was that of a 16-year-old surfer off Australia's eastern coast in April, bringing the death toll from shark attacks off Australia to 12 since 2000.
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