James Grant, a 24-year-old doctor from New Zealand, was spearfishing off the country’s South Island on Saturday. In about six feet of murky water, he felt a tug on his foot. He thought it was a friend playing a prank, but it was a sevengill shark having a taste.
“[I thought] bugger, now I have to try and get this thing off my leg,” . With his diving knife already in hand, he stabbed at the shark. “I am not sure how effective it was. I guess it let go, so something must have happened. [I] put a few nicks in it.”
Grant then swam to shore and saw several bite wounds in his leg. Using a first-aid kit from his vehicle, the young doctor administered his own stitches with a needle and thread. Before heading to the hospital, he and his friends went to the Colac Bay Tavern, where Grant was given a beer鈥攁nd a few bandages, because blood was dripping on the floor.
“I am pretty grateful to have my leg still,” he told . “When the stitches come out, I will be back in the water.”