Surfing on Australia’s New South Wales coast around Port Stephens is a gnarly endeavor. Sharks abound, especially great whites. That rarely stops surfers from hitting the waves to escape the hot summer sun and catch a set. Chris Hasson and his family were doing just that.
While dad lounged on the beach (probably thinking of when he could throw more shrimp on the barbie, right?), his ten-year-old son was in the water catching those waves. Hasson decided to take some photos of his son’s surfing skills and, when he glanced back at the image in the viewfinder, caught a very disturbing sight — his son was surfing directly into the maw of a great white shark.
It’s bad enough seeing a killer beast that large in the wild, but seeing your child surfing towards one at top speed must be bone-chilling. Hasson quickly whistled for his boy to come ashore. He told the Associated Press of the encounter and his son’s amazing luck. Hasson says his son “saw a shape in the wave and thought it was seaweed and felt something as he went over the top,” Hasson continues, “he got his leg rope caught on something but he thought nothing of it until he saw the photo.” Jesus, does anyone else feel their pulse racing?
Port Stephens is known for shark attacks, with a couple fatalities happening every few years. Mostly the sharks just nibble on passing humans, but as the authorities in Port Stephen point out, just a small shark nibble can be deadly.
(Via Facebook)
