Dave Pearson

And I was just on my way back out with a big grin on my face thinking this is going to be all right.

And then everything sort of changed.

So not even 10 minutes in the water and my afternoon took a very different turn.

I was in the rip paddling back out, as you do as a surfer, looking at the young guy who'd been out there when we turned up, watching the next set of waves coming through, watching to see who got one, and then the next thing, I just got hit by something.

And I remember saying that night it was like being hit by a freight train, and it just... Something hit me.

Next thing I noticed...

or was under the water, there was bubbles everywhere.

There was something big under there with me, but I couldn't make it out.

What actually happened is that the shark came from around about one o'clock.

If you say the nose of surfboard is 12 o'clock,

and its bottom jaw got the surfboard on the way through and its top jaw would have been wide open.

And fortunately I was looking off to the left-hand side, so nine o'clock, and its snout hit me in the right temple, which kind of knocked me out as well.

Unfortunately, it hurt my neck and back in the process, which I didn't realize obviously at the time.

And because I was paddling, my left arm was going forward.

and ended up between the top jaw and the surfboard.

So as we went down to the bottom, I was kind of stuck in its mouth.

Fortunately, my thumb had gone into its mouth, but the rest of my hand had gone on the outside.

So it didn't swallow my arm, luckily.

And on the bottom, the top teeth just proceeded to tear the forearm muscle and straight off...

off the bone.