Insane moment “Hero” surfer picks up a stranded shark and carries the man-eater back into the water
- The man risked his life by picking up a stranded shark and carrying it back into the water
- The surfer thought the shark might be disoriented or sick and wanted to help
- The deadly creature flailed violently in his arms as he picked it up
A surfer is being hailed as a hero for risking his life by picking up a stranded shark and carrying it back into the water in a bizarre incident filmed by another beachgoer.
First, Paul Myles tried to prod the predator with his surfboard to bring it safely back to deeper water at an Eastern View beach on Victoria’s Great Ocean Road.
But knowing the beast’s time might be up, Mr. Myles made the very brave decision to carry the shark into the surf as the deadly creature thrashed violently in his arms.
Surfer Paul Myles (pictured) made the very brave decision to pick up a stranded shark and carry the creature back into the surf
“I just thought I’d give it a chance, I wasn’t sure if it was just disoriented or sick or whatever,” Mr Myles told ABC on Saturday.
“I thought I’d put it in the water a little further out to see if it would swim out to sea, but it didn’t seem to be that good.”
Mr Myles said he thought it was a blue shark weighing around 20kg.
In his more than four decades of surfing Eastern View, he’s rarely seen a shark and never seen one so close to shore.
“I saw one of the rocks once about 20 years ago, but that’s enough I think,” he said.
The Larrikin joked that he’s really just a “big softie” and that he hopes his good deed has earned him some “brownie points” the next time a shark swims by while he’s out on a wave.
Paul Myles is pictured picking up the stranded shark, in a move he hopes will earn him “brownie points” in future shark encounters
The close encounter, which could have gone horribly wrong, hasn’t stopped him from heading back into the sea as Mr Myles heads out for a New Year’s surf on Sunday.
His actions were widely praised on social media.
“What a hero! Thanks for showing kindness,” one wrote, while another called him “a legend.”
Echoing his own hopes of good karma from the experience, one person wrote that he would get “brownie points with Mother Ocean, safe waves my friend.”
Another well-wisher simply said, “Wow, what a great person.”