Another Surfer Uses Punch Technique To Survive Shark Attack

Another surfer was forced to fend off a shark with a punch when he was attacked in Australia.

The shark punch heard around the world happened when professional surfer, Mick Fanning, had to punch a shark in order to get out of the water and to safety. The video of the incident was on every social media site from Facebook to Reddit to Tumblr; that’s not to mention the numerous news channels and web sites.

(Mild explicit language in video)

Early Friday morning, another surfer had to use a punch to fight off a shark and get to safety.

52-year-old Craig Ison was going for his daily surf with a friend, Geoff Hill, when a shark approached and bit him on the leg.

“We were just paddling out this morning and… then he said, ‘Go in, there’s a shark,'” Hill told The Northern Star. “But it grabbed him as he turned around … he managed to get himself on his board. I paddled to him but by then he was on his board and paddling back.”

Hill went on to say that “it was like watching a Mick Fanning replay.”

Ison’s first attempt to punch the shark was unsuccessful and resulted in his arm being bit by the creature. After that, he was finally able to fight free and get to safety.

On the beach, paramedics almost immediately began working on him. A good Samaritan applied a tourniquet to his leg, then the paramedics completed his stabilization.

A police officer who arrived on scene, Senior Constable Peter Richardson, drove the ambulance to allow the paramedics to continue work on Ison while en route to the hospital.

A spokeswoman for the ambulance company assured people that having another emergency service member drive the ambulance is common practice.

“A police officer drove the ambulance to allow paramedics to work on the man en route to the hospital. It is common practice for emergency service members such as police… to drive the ambulance, allowing two paramedics to provide care to a seriously injured or unwell patient.”

The bite marks on Ison’s surf board were examined by a shark biologist from the Department of Primary Industries. The expert was certain that the mark was created by a great white shark.

Ison’s sister-in-law was not surprised he fended off the shark with a punch due to the fact that he was a boxing champion in 1991.

“It would have been his first instinct. It’s amazing. We’re all shocked but it doesn’t surprise us that he’s done that.”

[ Image courtesy of Ryan Pierse/Getty Images ]