Australian Surfer's Miraculous Escape from Shark Attack

Dale Kittow, a 37-year-old father, found himself face to face with a nearly 10-foot bronze whaler while out surfing at Cheynes Beach in Western Australia. In a quick and daring move, Kittow used his surfboard as a shield to fend off the predator.

Recalling the intense moment, Kittow shared with 9 News Australia, "I just sat on my board and it circled me a few times before it charged at me. I jumped off the back and shoved the board in its face and had a bit of a tussle with it."

The shark bit into the board, tearing out a significant chunk of its fiberglass material. Kittow described the harrowing experience, "I jumped off the back of my board and put it in between me and the shark. The shark bit into the board."

During the struggle, both Kittow and the shark became entangled in the broken board's rope. Kittow recounted, "We got tangled in my leg rope, went under and got dragged for a bit. I hit it a few times."

Despite the terrifying ordeal, Kittow managed to release himself from the entanglement and miraculously made it back to shore, much to the relief of his wife who witnessed the incident from the beach. Reflecting on the near-death experience, Kittow expressed his gratitude, stating, "There were definitely moments there when I was thinking it wasn’t going to go too good. I feel very lucky. It was a bit of a miracle, really."

Although Kittow was unharmed, his surfboard bore the brunt of the attack. While he kept a piece of the board as a memento, the remaining parts were confiscated by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development for further investigation into the shark species and the incident.