Australian Man Fights Off Great White Shark After It Latches Onto Son's Leg

A 16-year-old boy in Australia was rushed to hospital after a great white shark latched onto his leg during a fishing trip. His father leapt to the rescue and used his bare hands to rescue his son by pulling the shark off his leg. According to Newsweek, the incident took place off a beach in South Australia on Sunday. The teen was bitten when he accidentally reeled in the huge beast from a small fishing boat. 

Nathan Ness and his father Michael Ness were over two miles offshore when the teen began to reel the catch in. However, as the 16-year-old went to capture his catch with a photograph, the shark sank its teeth into his leg, the outlet reported. 

His father did not hesitate to reach for the shark to save his son from the beast. Speaking to a local media outlet, Mr Michael said, "I was pretty scared, actually". But then he revealed how he saved his son from the predator. "I reached in, pulled its mouth open, and I let go, and it fell back into the water," he said. 

Paramedics were rushed to the scene to treat the 16-year-old after the attack. They worked quickly to stop the bleeding and he was then rushed to Royal Adelaide Hospital. 

"The 16-year-old boy has three quite deep lacerations-or teeth marks to the lower leg," Craig Murdy, a spokesperson for the ambulance said. "The bleeding was controlled by the time we got here," he added. 

The white pointer shark, or great white, was about 6 feet in length. 

Great white sharks are widespread in Australia's waters. They have several rows of extremely sharp teeth, specialised for ripping into flesh. Great white sharks are among the big three species most likely to hurt humans unprovoked. 

There have only been 47 unprovoked shark attacks in the South Australia region since records began in 1700, as per the International Shark Attack File. Most shark attacks happen in New South Wales, with 272 unprovoked attacks, the file reports.