British doctor punches shark while surfing in Australia

CANBERRA, Australia — A British doctor said on Tuesday he punched a shark on the nose to escape its jaws while surfing off the Australian coast.

Charlie Fry, 25, was left with superficial puncture wounds on his right shoulder and upper arm after the attack on Monday afternoon off Avoca Beach, 90 kilometres (60 miles) north of Sydney. Fry, who has worked at the nearby Gosford Hospital for the past two months, said he had recently watched a video on YouTube in which Australian professional surfer Mick Fanning told of punching a great white shark to escape an attack unscathed during a surfing competition in South Africa in 2015.