A 19-year-old surf life saver lived to tell the tale after a great white shark hit his surf ski from below over the weekend.
Nathaniel Drummond was competing in a surf-ski race on Sunday morning at Seacliff Beach in Adelaide, South Australia when the shark attacked. “The shark just came up and hit me from beneath,” Drummond told reporters. “All of a sudden, I felt my ski just lift above the water and next thing I knew I was in the air and then I was in the water.”
Drummond then found himself in the water with the great white shark. Luckily, competitors nearby saw what happened and heroically paddled towards him. He was pulled onto another ski and taken to shore, unharmed.
“Mum and dad were straight to me as soon as I got to the beach and I just gave them a big hug,” he continued. Officials closed the beach after the incident.
The 19-year-old’s ski was carried to shore, with a large chunk taken out of it. Drummond, who has been a surf life saver since he was six, isn’t phased about the incident. “It’s an absolute freak accident,” he said. “It’s a one-in-a-million thing that probably won’t happen again in my lifetime, hopefully.”
Surf Life Saving South Australia took to social media to comment. “Nat is recovering with his family thanks to the amazing efforts of the whole community that was in the water with him,” the group wrote. “All protocols and training were used by the event organizers and Nat would like to thank all for that… It’s a timely reminder to always swim where surf life savers can assist and to always be in the water with a mate in case you get into trouble.”
