Charlie Fry just moved to Australia two months ago, and the 25-year-old British doctor is already getting tangled up with the locals...the kind that bite. Fry was surfing Avoca Beach with his buddies on Wednesday when he felt something tug on his arm. "I felt a smack on my right shoulder and when I turned around the shark breached and I saw its jaw and teeth coming at me," he told the Daily Telegraph.
"I just punched it with my left hand and shouted out to my mates and paddled hard back to shore. It was terrifying but it only lasted five seconds. I'll get to tell the story for the rest of my life."
Being a doctor, Fry and his buddies were able to assess the injuries quickly and determine that they weren't life threatening, which is why he decided to have his buddy take him to the nearby hospital.
His story was quick to viral, and he appeared on Australia's national Today Show on Tuesday morning to talk about it.
See the full Today Show interview here.
When the Today show reporter mentioned that it was reminiscent of the famous Mick Fanning attack at Jeffreys Bay in 2015, Fry had a laugh. "Funny you mention that, because me and my friends have just started surfing and we saw the YouTube clip of Mick Fanning saying that he punched it in the nose. So when it happened I was just like, 'Just do what Mick did. Just punch it in the nose.' So Mick if you're listening I owe you a beer. Thank you very much."
See the real-time replay of Mick Fanning's shark encounter during the J-Bay Final.
Charlie seems to be taking his 15 minutes of fame in stride. He's rather amused with the variety of press coverage his story is generating. He laughed off one report that said he was afraid to tell his mom back home. "I was like, you're kidding me!"
As for getting back in the water, Fry says he'll have to wait at least a week. "After that I'll be racing to get back in. I may not go to that point though," he told the Today show. "It's called Shark Tower for a reason."
Latest Shark Attack Victim: "I Owe Mick Fanning a Beer"
WSL
Charlie Fry just moved to Australia two months ago, and the 25-year-old British doctor is already getting tangled up with the locals...the kind that bite. Fry was surfing Avoca Beach with his buddies on Wednesday when he felt something tug on his arm. "I felt a smack on my right shoulder and when I turned around the shark breached and I saw its jaw and teeth coming at me," he told the Daily Telegraph.
"I just punched it with my left hand and shouted out to my mates and paddled hard back to shore. It was terrifying but it only lasted five seconds. I'll get to tell the story for the rest of my life."
Being a doctor, Fry and his buddies were able to assess the injuries quickly and determine that they weren't life threatening, which is why he decided to have his buddy take him to the nearby hospital.
His story was quick to viral, and he appeared on Australia's national Today Show on Tuesday morning to talk about it.
See the full Today Show interview here.
When the Today show reporter mentioned that it was reminiscent of the famous Mick Fanning attack at Jeffreys Bay in 2015, Fry had a laugh. "Funny you mention that, because me and my friends have just started surfing and we saw the YouTube clip of Mick Fanning saying that he punched it in the nose. So when it happened I was just like, 'Just do what Mick did. Just punch it in the nose.' So Mick if you're listening I owe you a beer. Thank you very much."
Charlie seems to be taking his 15 minutes of fame in stride. He's rather amused with the variety of press coverage his story is generating. He laughed off one report that said he was afraid to tell his mom back home. "I was like, you're kidding me!"
As for getting back in the water, Fry says he'll have to wait at least a week. "After that I'll be racing to get back in. I may not go to that point though," he told the Today show. "It's called Shark Tower for a reason."
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