Shark Mauls Aussie Teen Surfer’s Foot in Frantic South Australia Attack (Video)

At the kickoff to the holiday weekend, in Australia, a 16-year-old boy was attacked by a shark while surfing in South Australia, nearly losing a foot.

Oliver Tokic-Bensley, 16, paddled out at the South Australia town of Middleton. He was floating on his board, waiting for a wave to come, when something grabbed him by the foot, and yanked him underwater. Turns out, it was a shark – likely a bronze whaler.

Below, the teen tells his tale.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/KCKg1r7ZZJo

“I was just sitting on my board, waiting for a wave to come, then something just came and grabbed my foot,” Tokic-Bensley said. “I fell into the water with it, then maybe five meters in front of me, there was a fin that popped up. I hopped on my board and legged it back to the beach.”

As for after the nip, understandably, Tokic-Bensley was worried the shark would return.

“I was pretty frantic,” he said. “I sh*t myself a fair bit. There were no waves to catch at the time that it got me. So, I started to paddle.”

Luckily, he made it back to shore. And his dad, Andrew Bensley, had been watching.

“I think the movement of his foot, mixed with the murky water, the shark must have mistimed the hit,” Bensley said. “If it was a little bit up, he would’ve definitely lost his foot. I started running to get down there. The real parent kicked in. Based on the size of the teeth, it was a reasonable sized shark.”

Photos of the damage to the teenager’s foot showed bloody teeth marks. And following the incident, doctors wrapped the foot to heal.

As for whether or not the teen will return to the water following the incident?

“He said to me that the chances of getting attacked by a shark is, like, one in three million,” his father said. “And so, what are the chances of getting attacked twice?”

Tokic-Bensley added: “If I didn’t have the bandage on, I’d be in the water.”