Kungfoolss
1/23/2007 1:07am,
Man escapes jaws of killer shark by poke to the eye
Eden Magnet and AAP
Tuesday, 23 January 2007
An abalone diver has survived a terrifying attack by a shark, which seized him first by the head and then bit into his torso before he fought free of the predator. Eric Nerhus, 41, was diving with his 25-year-old son Mark and a group of other divers at Cape Howe, near Eden on the NSW south coast, when he was attacked by the three-metre white pointer about 10.30am (AEDT) on Tuesday. The shark seized Mr Nerhus by the head, crushing his face mask inwards and breaking his nose, said friend and fellow diver Dennis Luobikis.
"He was actually bitten by the head down, the shark swallowed his head," Mr Luobikis said. Taking a second bite, the white pointer clenched its jaws around his torso, tearing deep lacerations in either side of his body. Covered in blood Mr Nerhus was screaming for help from his son and others. He had been in the water since 7am gathering about 15 kilograms of abalone when he found himself thrashing inside the shark's deadly mouth. Against the odds, Mr Nerhus, a well-known local diver of more than five years' experience, managed to free himself from the shark's jaws, and was pulled back aboard the boat by his son.
Using his skills as a black belt in karate, he had managed to escape the shark's jaws by giving the shark a fierce poke in the eye with his one free arm, prompting it to open its jaws and release him.
When he reached the surface Mr Nerhus's teenage son, Mark, a deck hand on their boat Marauder, was about 20 metres away. He rushed to his father to help stop the bleeding. "There was a big pool of blood around him and he was screaming that there was a shark and he needed help," Mark Nerhus said. Two other young divers in a nearby boat rendered immediate first aid and one radioed his father, who was flying overhead in a spotter plane, to call for emergency help. "I pulled him out and we went over to get help from Reece and Bansky and Chaz and they gave him a lift in shore," his son said.
Reece Warren and Tony Banks were diving in the area at the time with Chaz Hore manning the deck. "We brought him in cause it'd be quicker and more comfortable for him," Mr Warren said. Once back at the unloading wharf at Snug Cove the Snowy Hydro South Care helicopter was waiting with two ambulances. The Snowy Hydro Rescue Helicopter had arrived shortly after 11.10am and airlifted Mr Nerhus to Wollongong Hospital suffering blood loss and shock. He was in a serious but stable condition. Mr Nerhus's bleeding had slowed considerably as he went into shock, shrinking his capillaries, said Sergeant Hinkly of Eden Water Police. He was flown to Wollongong Hospital rather than Canberra, which is closer to Eden, to allow the helicopter to fly at the lower altitude.
Transporting Mr Nerhus at too high an altitude would have caused him to suffer decompression sickness, where nitrogen bubbles form in the blood, the South Care crew had feared.
The diver's family seemed unsurprised by his heroic stealth tactics to survive the shark's jaws. "He always said he'd poke a shark in the eye if one ever attacked him," his sister Liz Elks told The Eden Magnet. Research indicates that a great white will only bite a human once, as they are not considered a primary food source to the creature, she said.
But Mr Luobikis, 53, said it was a miracle his friend had lived to tell the tale. "Eric is a tough boy, he's super fit," he said. "But I would say that would test anyone's resolve, being a fish lunch." "He'd have a better chance of winning the lotto (than surviving that attack), and I think he would have rather done that." There had been a rash of white pointer sightings in recent weeks thanks to unusually cold waters off Eden, but such an attack was unheard of, Mr Luobikis said. "I have been a professional diver in Eden for 36 years and I'm not aware of any white pointer attacks in that time," he said. Rough conditions had deterred many divers from venturing out this morning, Mr Luobikis said. Swimmers were evacuated from three popular south coast beaches last week after sharks were spotted during routine aerial patrols.
The white pointer, or great white shark, is the world's largest known predatory fish, with an average length of between four and five metres. It can grow up to six metres and thrives in colder waters. Mr Nerhus confirmed to his rescuers that he'd poked the shark in the eye to fight his way free, a Snowy Hydro Rescue Helicopter spokeswoman said. Tracy Nerhus, Eric's wife, extended a grateful thank you for the compassion and quick reactions of the people involved in her husband's transport from the water to the hospital. The attack has left the diver with a suspected broken nose, deep lacerations to his back, chest and shoulder and deep grazes to his face.
Source: AAP and The Eden Magnet
http://batemansbay.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?class=national%20news&subclass=general&story_id=550241&category=general
Eden Magnet and AAP
Tuesday, 23 January 2007
An abalone diver has survived a terrifying attack by a shark, which seized him first by the head and then bit into his torso before he fought free of the predator. Eric Nerhus, 41, was diving with his 25-year-old son Mark and a group of other divers at Cape Howe, near Eden on the NSW south coast, when he was attacked by the three-metre white pointer about 10.30am (AEDT) on Tuesday. The shark seized Mr Nerhus by the head, crushing his face mask inwards and breaking his nose, said friend and fellow diver Dennis Luobikis.
"He was actually bitten by the head down, the shark swallowed his head," Mr Luobikis said. Taking a second bite, the white pointer clenched its jaws around his torso, tearing deep lacerations in either side of his body. Covered in blood Mr Nerhus was screaming for help from his son and others. He had been in the water since 7am gathering about 15 kilograms of abalone when he found himself thrashing inside the shark's deadly mouth. Against the odds, Mr Nerhus, a well-known local diver of more than five years' experience, managed to free himself from the shark's jaws, and was pulled back aboard the boat by his son.
Using his skills as a black belt in karate, he had managed to escape the shark's jaws by giving the shark a fierce poke in the eye with his one free arm, prompting it to open its jaws and release him.
When he reached the surface Mr Nerhus's teenage son, Mark, a deck hand on their boat Marauder, was about 20 metres away. He rushed to his father to help stop the bleeding. "There was a big pool of blood around him and he was screaming that there was a shark and he needed help," Mark Nerhus said. Two other young divers in a nearby boat rendered immediate first aid and one radioed his father, who was flying overhead in a spotter plane, to call for emergency help. "I pulled him out and we went over to get help from Reece and Bansky and Chaz and they gave him a lift in shore," his son said.
Reece Warren and Tony Banks were diving in the area at the time with Chaz Hore manning the deck. "We brought him in cause it'd be quicker and more comfortable for him," Mr Warren said. Once back at the unloading wharf at Snug Cove the Snowy Hydro South Care helicopter was waiting with two ambulances. The Snowy Hydro Rescue Helicopter had arrived shortly after 11.10am and airlifted Mr Nerhus to Wollongong Hospital suffering blood loss and shock. He was in a serious but stable condition. Mr Nerhus's bleeding had slowed considerably as he went into shock, shrinking his capillaries, said Sergeant Hinkly of Eden Water Police. He was flown to Wollongong Hospital rather than Canberra, which is closer to Eden, to allow the helicopter to fly at the lower altitude.
Transporting Mr Nerhus at too high an altitude would have caused him to suffer decompression sickness, where nitrogen bubbles form in the blood, the South Care crew had feared.
The diver's family seemed unsurprised by his heroic stealth tactics to survive the shark's jaws. "He always said he'd poke a shark in the eye if one ever attacked him," his sister Liz Elks told The Eden Magnet. Research indicates that a great white will only bite a human once, as they are not considered a primary food source to the creature, she said.
But Mr Luobikis, 53, said it was a miracle his friend had lived to tell the tale. "Eric is a tough boy, he's super fit," he said. "But I would say that would test anyone's resolve, being a fish lunch." "He'd have a better chance of winning the lotto (than surviving that attack), and I think he would have rather done that." There had been a rash of white pointer sightings in recent weeks thanks to unusually cold waters off Eden, but such an attack was unheard of, Mr Luobikis said. "I have been a professional diver in Eden for 36 years and I'm not aware of any white pointer attacks in that time," he said. Rough conditions had deterred many divers from venturing out this morning, Mr Luobikis said. Swimmers were evacuated from three popular south coast beaches last week after sharks were spotted during routine aerial patrols.
The white pointer, or great white shark, is the world's largest known predatory fish, with an average length of between four and five metres. It can grow up to six metres and thrives in colder waters. Mr Nerhus confirmed to his rescuers that he'd poked the shark in the eye to fight his way free, a Snowy Hydro Rescue Helicopter spokeswoman said. Tracy Nerhus, Eric's wife, extended a grateful thank you for the compassion and quick reactions of the people involved in her husband's transport from the water to the hospital. The attack has left the diver with a suspected broken nose, deep lacerations to his back, chest and shoulder and deep grazes to his face.
Source: AAP and The Eden Magnet
http://batemansbay.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?class=national%20news&subclass=general&story_id=550241&category=general