Stranded diver swims to shore stalked by shark

A British diver has told how he was forced to fend off a 13ft (4m) tiger shark with a spear gun as it followed him during a 4.7-mile (7.5km) swim to the Australian shore.

John Craig said he had been spearfishing with a friend near Shark Bay in Western Australia when he got into difficulty and lost sight of his boat.

The 34-year-old, who is reportedly originally from Sunderland but moved to Australia two years ago, described his panic as he was left stranded alone in open water.

“I was trying to splash and scream and shout to get my friend’s attention,” he told BBC Breakfast.

“All of the splashing, I could feel my heart rate up because I was panicking that I had been left, and after about five or 10 minutes of this I just put my head in the water to check I was still in the same place, and then at arm’s reach there was this huge 4m tiger shark.

“It was at that moment I realised I have just got to forget about the boat and go totally into survival mode.

“I just kept my head in the water, watched what the big tiger shark was doing, and it kept coming back towards me.

“It would circle me and kind of dart in and I just had to use my spear gun to try and fend it off and try and keep it at a safe distance.”

Mr Craig, who has worked as a diving instructor for 10 years, said the shark followed him as he swam towards the shore, which took around three hours.

He said he tried to calm himself down and after a few minutes the shark accelerated and started swimming beside him.

He added: “It was just swimming with me, next to me. It was just one of the most surreal experiences because it was no longer trying to get me, it was kind of escorting me to shore.”

Picture: BBC News. John Craig.