Margaret River surfer Andy McDonald tells of moment shark attacked him ‘out of the blue’
A surfer thought his life was over as he was pulled underwater by a shark that tore through his board.
Andy McDonald, 61, was caught completely off guard while wing-foiling out the back of a Margaret River surf break in WA’s South West on Monday afternoon, and quickly thrust into a fight for survival.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Foil-boarder forced to punch shark that dragged him under water.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“Just out of the blue, something just went (bang), straight up from behind, like a super solid hit and I was flying through the air and just crashed into the water,” he told 7NEWS.
McDonald said it was then a mad scramble in the surf as he punched what is believed to be a great white, 700m from the safety of the shore.
“It was obviously biting my board, and then it dragged me under the water, took me under, dragging the board and the sail,” he said.
In that moment, McDonald admitted “I thought I was gone”.
“This is it. I’m so far out to sea, no one’s around, there’s no jetskis or anything and I’m at the mercy of this beast,” he said.
He eventually broke free and was able to clamber on top of his sail, where he tried to remain as still as possible.
“I tried to keep calm but it’s impossible,” he said.
A friend in the water 50m away bravely paddled over to him before both began the 20-minute journey back to the beach.
“It was an incredible effort (from his pal) because I didn’t know if the shark was still around,” McDonald said.
McDonald returned to shore uninjured, but the damage to board — which is sporting a big bite mark — shows it could have been much worse.
In all of the madness, which was recorded on a Swellnet camera, McDonald never got a glimpse of the shark that ripped through his carbon fibre board, which is four inches thick.
“Even when I was underwater, didn’t see it. I might have seen a flash of colour — there was so much foam and kicking and I was punching it as well, and kicking it, trying to keep all my arms and legs intact, I didn’t know where its head was,” he said.
Authorities issued a shark warning for Prevelly in the Shire of Augusta Margaret River following the scary interaction.
McDonald hopes to be back on his board as early as Wednesday.
Originally published on 7NEWS
