Man Saves 10-Year-Old Son After Shark Grabs Boy From Fishing Boat

KEY POINTS

Father and son were in the vessel when the shark “grabbed him from the boat”
The boy was rushed to a nearby hospital with arm, head and chest injuries
Shark attack researcher said the shark swam away because it was likely spooked by the father's action

An Australian man saved his 10-year-old son’s life after the boy was grabbed by a shark from a fishing boat. The incident took place off Tasmania’s north-west coast on Friday, July 17.

According to local reports, four people, including the boy and his father, were in the vessel when the shark “grabbed him from the boat.” The victim’s father immediately jumped into the water following which the fish, believed to be a great white shark, swam away. The boy was rushed to a nearby hospital with arm, head and chest injuries.

“The boy ... was aboard a six-metre vessel on a fishing expedition about 5km from shore with his father and two other men when a shark grabbed him from the boat,” Ambulance Tasmania said. The boy was in a stable condition.

Speaking to ABC Radio Hobart, diver Ben Allen, who was at a nearby boat ramp when the incident took place, said, “All of sudden, the shark's leapt clean out of the water and it's grabbed the little boy and pulled him straight in. But as he's pulled him in, it's obvious the shark's let go. The father, with his natural instinct I suppose, has leapt in straight after his son and managed to grab him."

Meanwhile, shark attack researcher Chris Black told the radio station that the shark swam away because it was likely spooked by the father's action.

"It was probably the last thing it expected. White sharks, of all the shark species, are the only ones which will elevate their heads above water to check out what's happening on boats. If they had been cleaning fish off the side of the boat, then clearly that's put entrails into the water that a passing shark will react to. It's in the DNA to investigate any source that could be food for them,” Black told the radio station.

The Guardian reported that few hours prior to the incident, police had issued a warning saying, “Please be advised there has been a large shark sighted in the Stanley area. If swimming or undertaking fishing and other marine activities please take necessary precautions.”