'Hero' surfer hailed for carrying stranded 44-pound shark on beach back to sea
VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA: A fearless Australian surfer is being praised for his quick thinking and bravery after he picked up a stranded shark with his bare hands and carried it back into the ocean.
Paul Myles saw the helpless shark at a beach in Eastern View on Victoria's Great Ocean Road and attempted to push it with his surfboard to get it back to the deeper seawater. But after a few fruitless attempts, the surfer decided to take the matter into his own hands as he realized the animal was running out of time. Myles picked up the shark as it frantically thrashed around and carried it into the waves.
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Myles said picking up the shark was a quick decision. "I just thought I'd give it a chance, I wasn't sure if it was just disorientated or sick or whatever," Mr. Myles told the ABC. "I thought I'd get it out in the water a bit further out, see if it would swim out to sea but it didn't seem too well." The fearless surfer initially thought it was a blue shark, weighing around 44 pounds. “It had a long pointy nose, blue color,” he said.
He added that he had been surfing at that particular beach for over 20 years, and had rarely ever seen a shark there. “I’ve never seen one that is so close to the beach, that’s the important thing. I once saw one off the rocks about 20 years ago but that’s enough I think.” He said he wanted to help the shark because he's "a bit of a softie, really". "I think it might earn some brownie points next time a shark comes past me," he said. He stated said he'd be back to surf on Sunday, January 8.
People on social media hailed him as a hero for risking his life to save the shark, when many others in a similar situation would have been too frightened to pick it up. “What a hero! Thank you for showing kindness,” said one Facebook comment. “Brownie points with Mother Ocean, safe waves my friend,” said another. “Wow what a great human being,” posted a Facebook user, according to Daily Mail.
A similar incident happened in June 2021 when a brave beachgoer recused a great white shark near the coastline at a California beach. In the video, an unidentified man runs into the water and grabs the shark, guiding closer to the shore. He holds the animal while another man cuts the line, before finally guiding the shark back out to sea. Kelly Bailey, who recorded the incident said no one could tell that the fish was actually a great white shark until it pulled close to the beach.