Surfer Joseph Tanner, 29, survived a shark attack off the coast of northern Oregon on Oct. 10 by punching the shark in the gills until it released his leg, then paddling to shore.
Tanner held a news conference Wednesday to tell the story of the attack, warn others, and thank those who helped him survive the ordeal, The Associated Press reported.
Tanner said he was resting his arms on his surfboard between waves, his legs dangling down in the water, when a shark grabbed his right leg and pulled him under the water.
He remembered being told that if a shark attacked, he should punch it in the nose or poke its eye. He could only see gills however, so he punched those as hard as he could, and the shark released him, he said. He yelled to warn others surfing nearby and paddled 200 feet to shore, scared that the shark would come after his bleeding body again, the AP reported.
When he reached the shore, Tanner’s emergency training kicked in and he began telling bystanders how to make a tourniquet and cut off his wetsuit so paramedics could start an IV. Tanner is a critical care ICU nurse, and he requested the rescue helicopter fly him to the hospital where he works and is familiar with the staff.
Tanner had three surgeries to repair his leg and will need physical therapy, but the bite missed his bones and major nerves.
Several experts told him the shark was probably a great white, based on the size, the AP reported.
There have only been 26 unprovoked shark attacks ever recorded in Oregon out of more than 1,000 throughout the Unites States, according to The Washington Post.
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