GRAPHIC CONTENT: Lee Berryman, from Australia, said the shark ‘chomped’ on him and has shared images of the massive bite on his thigh that needed more than 50 stitches
The victim of a shark attack has revealed the terrifying 11-inch scar left behind after a great white took a bite out of him during a surfing session.
Lee Berryman confirmed that he was attacked by the shark at D’Estrees Bay, Kangaroo Island in Australia, on October 7, after initially mistaking it for a bronze whaler. South Australia Police had previously reported that a man in his 50s had driven himself to hospital following the incident.
Shark Watch South Australia (SWSA) suggested that the bite mark on Mr Berryman’s thigh, measuring approximately 10 inches, indicated the shark was about three metres long.
The surfboard Mr Berryman was using was shattered in the attack, and he later shared shocking images of his wound, which required over 50 stitches.
He informed local media that he was bitten once, and described the shark as having “chomped” on him.
The surfboard was littered with teeth marks, which were eventually determined to be too wide for a Bronze Whaler, pointing instead to a Great White.
In a statement to SWSA, Mr Berryman recounted: “I was swimming out and the shark just grabbed me,” reports the Mirror.
“Its nose was close to me, and so I just started belting it and it let go. As soon as I felt it grab me, I thought to myself, ‘that’s the little f***** that was here the other day.'”.
SWSA provided further details of the encounter: “As [Berryman] swam inshore, two seals swam around nearby with the pup dancing around Lee until he made it in.”
Berryman added that he is currently recuperating and “is walking around”, although he finds it difficult to sit for extended periods.
The organisation went on to say: “We look forward to hosting him on our next ‘Sharks Cast’ for a special public broadcast to be recorded in the coming days. Lee has been surfing D’Estrees Bay for 43 years and Cray dives around the bay.
“He knows the waters like the back of his hand. Sharks are not an issue for Lee and he wants to make it clear that there’s no hard feelings towards them after his ordeal.”
Data from the Australian Shark Incident Database reveals that over the past 10 years, there have been roughly 20 shark encounters annually on average.
The figures show an average of 2.8 deaths per year, alongside seven incidents where individuals escaped without injury.
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