Shark looked man straight in the eye before biting chunk out of his leg

03 February 2024 , 10:37

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Brett has returned to the water after the attack (Image: Stan Australia)

A surfer has recalled the moment a shark looked him in the eyes as it sunk its teeth into his leg, almost killing him.

Brett Connellan encountered the predator while surfing about 100 metres off Bombo Beach in Kiama, Australia. He said being mauled by the bull shark was his "worst nightmare" coming true as he shared details of the harrowing attack in a documentary.

The ordeal took place in March 2016 and saw Brett forced to fight off the predator, vividly remembering its "really rough" skin on his hands. He added that it also felt like "someone completely turned the sound off" as he battled for his life.

Speaking in Attacking Life on streaming service Stan, Brett said: "The look in the shark's eyes, in the moment it's one of the most terrifying things you can look at because it's not something you can reason with. It's this realisation that my worst nightmare is coming to fruition right in front of me and I can't do anything about it.

Brett Connellan was almost mauled to death by a shark (Brett Connellan/Instagram)

Brett has spent years learning to walk again (Brett Connellan/Instagram)

"The most vivid thing I can remember is the touch and feel of the shark's skin as I'm trying to push it away or hold it at arm's length. It was kind of really rough, which was a strange sensation to remember. One of the other things that sticks out to me was the lack of sound. It was like someone completely turned the sound off, there was not even the ringing sound in the background, it was just dead silence."

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The shark ripped off a huge chunk of then-22-year-old Brett's left thigh and then returned for a second attack. He attempted to push it away before being helped to shore by friend Joel Trist on his surfboard. The then-nurse-in-training used the leg rope from the surfboard to wrap around Brett's wound to stem the blood flow.

Doctors told him he may never walk again but surgeons managed to save his leg from amputation. Brett went through years of rehab as he learned to walk again. He now even ventures into the water. He added: "I never wanted to be defined by the incident, or remembered as the guy who got attacked by a shark. I want to be remembered for what I did afterwards."

Ryan Merrifield