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Shark Attack Survivor Mel Ismail Speaks Out After Losing Leg Surfing
The surfer lost his right leg below the knee and plans to return to the water as fisheries investigators probe the shark species.
- On September 14, professional firefighter Mel Ismail was surfing at Glenfield Beach near Geraldton, about 400 kilometres north of Perth, when a shark attacked him, an experience he recounted on Thursday.
- Recalling the incident, Ismail said he spotted about 20 dolphins before something massive grabbed and dragged him underwater, where he fought the predator by pushing its eye as it severed his leg below the knee.
- Surfer Shannan Dunn rescued the injured man onto a board, while an onlooker crafted a tourniquet using a leg rope and Ismail's partner, Kylie Fleay, rushed to Geraldton Hospital when she learned of the attack.
- Despite the amputation, Ismail remains positive, joking he will "have to be a bodyboarder now," and says he plans to return to the water as his recovery continues.
- Australia has recorded five fatal shark attacks this year, including 63-year-old Greg O'Neill, who died off Sorrento Beach near Perth four days after Ismail's mauling.
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Surfer and professional firefighter Mel Ismail, who survived a shark attack that left him with a leg missing, has described the terrifying encounter and unusual detail of his fight with the animal in his first public appearance. The drama unfolded on September 14 while he was surfing at Glenfield Beach near Geraldton on the West Coast
An Australian surfer who lost a leg following a shark attack first told how he managed to escape with his life.
Coverage Details
Total News Sources25
Leaning Left8Leaning Right2Center11Last UpdatedBias Distribution52% Center
Bias Distribution
- 52% of the sources are Center
52% Center
L 38%
C 52%
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