A 35-year-old Australian woman found out the hard way that she picked the right husband. When a great white shark grabbed hold of her leg,  her husband leapt to her rescue without any thought for his own safety.  (1)

Shark Attack At Shelley Beach

Chantelle Doyle was swimming at Australia’s well-known Shelley Beach in Port Macquarie when the shark attacked. It took hold of her leg, with the full force of its reportedly two to three-meter body. The attack left Chantelle with “severe lacerations” on her right leg. However, things could have been much worse had her husband, Mark Rapley not come to her rescue. (1, 2)

Husband Steps In When Shark Attacks

Rapley, who was on his surfboard, immediately paddled to her side and leaped onto the shark without hesitation. He continued to punch the shark until it released his wife from its powerful jaw. “This fella paddled over and jumped off his board onto the shark and hit it to get it to release her and then assisted her back into the beach,” says Surf Life Saving NSW chief executive Steven Pearce. “Pretty full-on, really heroic.” (1)

Shark Attack Victim Receives Assistance

According to people onshore, following the attack the shark swam closer to the beach, leaping into the air with the man’s surfboard in its mouth. Doyle was attended by bystanders on the beach until paramedics arrived on the scene. “The immediate first aid assisting the patient from the water was quite amazing,” says Andy Beverly, NSW Ambulance. “They did an amazing job before we arrived.” (1, 2)

A surfboard was used to bring Chantelle safely to shore where a makeshift tourniquet was quickly applied to help slow the bleeding. Chantelle was taken to Port Macquarie Hospital and then flown to Newcastle Hospital where she underwent surgery. She remains in stable condition. “The bystanders on scene that rendered assistance should be commended. They did an amazing job,” says Beverly. (1, 2, 3)

Husband’s Instinct Kicked In During Shark Attack

“It was his natural reaction to get in there and do what he can,” says James Turnham, Australian Lifeguard Service. (2)

Following the attack drones, jet-skis and inflatable rescue boats were used to search for the shark. Although it was spotted by emergency services not too long after the incident, by the evening the attack occurred the emergency services were uncertain of its whereabouts. (1)

Shark Attacks On the Mid North Coast

This is the third attack on the Mid North Coast according to NSW Ambulance. Sadly one of the more recent attacks at Wilsons Headland at Woolie Beach involved a 15-year-old surfer who died. “It has been an unusually busy period for shark encounters on the Mid North Coast,” he says. “This time of year, coming out of winter, that’s when the whales migrate, and you get more shark activity following the whales migrating.” (1)

“Our thoughts are with the young lady who was injured in the shark attack this morning, and we’d like to praise her fellow surfers who came to her aid so quickly,” says Mr. Pearce. Her family was quick to make there way to the hospital so they could be by her side during recovery. (1,2)