REMEMBER WHEN

GOLD COAST BULLETIN Thursday August 5, 2004

WITH blood pouring from 30 shark-tooth wounds in his leg, Byron Bay spearfisherman Greg Thompson swam 400m through waters he had just been attacked in to save his life.

Mr Thompson was bitten by what he believed was a grey nurse shark about 400m from Cosy Corner, a popular diving spot directly below Byron lookout, at 1.30pm the previous day.

The 42-year-old Byron local had just speared his catch of the day, a decent sized jewfish, and was starting to resurface with his catch when the shark attacked.

Mr Thompson believed the grey nurse, which is not regarded as a man-eater, was after the jewfish but latched on to his left leg by mistake.

The shark held him underwater and he said he was on his last breath when the shark finally released its vicelike grip.

“If the shark had of kept going I would be dead,” he said.

“If it had not let go when it did, I would have lost my life for sure.

“He just let go of my leg in time, thank God.”

Mr Thompson resurfaced as quickly as he could and clambered on to the almost inaccessible rocks.

Bleeding, exhausted and alone, he sat on the rocks at the bottom of the sheer cliff face below the lookout with just one option for survival: get back into the water and swim to safety.

Composing himself for what he knew would be the most important swim of his life, the medium-built man dived back in the water where he had just been mauled.