Cape Town - Still Bay shark attack survivor Stuart Anderson saw his foot in the mouth of the great white shark that attacked him and knew that if the shark bit down, it would take his leg off.
The 42-year-old surfer, who was attacked while surfing about 50m offshore at Morris Reef, is recovering in George Hospital after undergoing surgery to extensive lacerations to his leg and buttock.
His brother Mathew said on Monday that Stuart had been surfing with Petro van Nierop, 21, when the great white attacked.
“Stuart said it hit him hard and very fast, and pulled him under. His foot was in the shark’s mouth. He told me he thought: ‘Don’t bite down’. He could feel it in its mouth. Had it bitten down it would have taken his leg off. He must have had some guardian angel because it let him go.
“When he popped back to the surface, Stuart said he saw the dorsal fin with that particular serration and the massive tail. It was definitely a great white,” Mathew said.
The NSRI said another local surfer, Jonathan Gersch, 46, saw Stuart and Van Nierop paddling to the rocks, with the shark behind them, and went to help.
Mathew said his brother had climbed on to the rocks.
“But he couldn’t stand on his leg, it kept buckling under him. Jonathan helped him get off and there were two NRSI guys in the water and another friend.
“They got him to the beach. Petro phoned me and I shot back to the beach…
I got there just after it happened. Stuart was handling it very well. He was calm and brave through the whole thing,” Mathew said.
He said it was ironic that he and his brother had been part of a group that had put shark attack kits, with tourniquets, compression bandages and other basic first aid materials at Still Bay surfing spots three years ago.
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