I swam 4 miles stalked by 13ft maneater
Diver fended off tiger shark with speargun
A DIVER managed to swim to safety – after being stalked by a 13ft shark for four miles. John Craig, 34, was spearfishing in Australia when he realised he was being followed by a maneating tiger shark. He found himself facing the creature after his boat broke down and drifted away near Shark Bay, 550 miles from Perth.
John, from Washington near Sunderland, said yesterday: “I was splashing and screaming for some time and my heart rate was sky high.
“I suddenly saw a huge four-metre tiger shark approaching within arm’s reach.
“I used my spear gun to block its path. After about two minutes of this dance, I thought, ‘I have to get out of here’, and swam for shore.
“I thought, ‘This is how I am going to die.’”
Incredibly, the shark started to swim alongside John before making off.
He added: “In any other situation, it would have been an amazing experience. But in this situation it was terrifying.”
John completed the three-hour swim to shore before darkness fell and turned to see a huge search and rescue operation behind him.
He said: “I got to the beach exhausted. I could barely stand, my legs were so sore.”
Despite his ordeal, John was able to see the funny side – and compared it to watching his hometown football team.
He said: “This was the worst thing I’ve experienced since the 1998 play-off final defeat against Charlton.”