M
Ma Chao
Guest
Man grabs 12ft shark by tail to stop it attacking teenage female diver... and then disappears
By Richard Shears
Last updated at 10:48 AM on 1st November 2010
A shy hero who grabbed a shark's tail and pulled it from a young woman diver as her blood filled the water said today: 'All I want is the girl to be OK.' The man declined to give his name or speak further about his courageous actions, but other divers said he had probably saved 19-year-old Elyse Frankcom's life after the 12ft shark had bitten into her hip. As she sank to the bottom of the sea, off the coast of Western Australia, the anonymous snorkeller grabbed the shark's tail and pulled it until it let go and swam away.
Lucky escape: Elyse Frankcom, left, was badly injured in the shark attack but her sister Samantha, right, says she will soon be back in the water
Frank Pisani, senior skipper for Fremantle Sea Rescue, said the attack by the unidentified shark south of Perth could have been fatal had it not been for the actions of the snorkeller. 'It had brushed him aside - and he's a fairly large male - as it attacked the young woman. So he grabbed its tail and this caused the shark to swim away.
'The girl then started to sink to the bottom and he grabbed her and brought her to the surface and got her back onboard the cruise boat she had been on. 'She was suffering from very deep and wide puncture wounds but it could have been worse had it not been for the actions of this man.'
Reluctant hero: The burly rescuer - who did not give his name and refused to be interviewed - would only say: 'All I want is the girl to be okay'
Miss Frankcom had recently written about shark attacks on her Facebook page, commenting: 'If I get attacked or die, at least I die happy and doin (sic) the thing I love.' The rescuer's actions, said tour operator Mr Aaron Heath, were 'nothing short of amazing'. He said: 'They've all been swimming in quite shallow water and they had two dolphins right by Elyse's side, and we believe this shark has come in from the bottom and grabbed hold of her.' Miss Frankcom, who worked for the tour group, had been leading a group of 33 people, including three children, on the dive to swim among dolphins.
Dramatic rescue: A still from video footage shows rescue services taking the injured Miss Frankcom ashore near the Garden Island naval base
Rushed to hospital: Frank Pisani, of Fremantle Sea Rescue, said Miss Frankcom was suffering deep puncture marks from the attack
Stable condition: Miss Frankcom remains in a Perth hospital while being treated for injuries to her hip and thighs
As Miss Frankcom lay in hospital where she is receiving treatment for her wounds, her sister, Samantha, told Perth's Sunday Times: 'She's in high spirits. She should be OK. 'She loves the water. This won't scare her away. She will definitely go back. it's been a passion for her since she was a child.' Miss Frankcom told the boat crew that she thought she had been attacked by a great white shark, a fearsome predator and common in the waters off Australia. Mr Tony Cappelluti, regional manager of the Department of Fisheries, said aerial searches would be made to try to find the shark. ' But he said: These animals can move fairly large distances in a short amount of time, so it might have left the area already.'
Fearsome predator: The great white shark is one of the most aggressive shark species, and is common in the waters off Western Australia
