An Australian surfer was seriously injured in a shark attack off the coast of Geraldton, Western Australia, last month, providing a vivid account of the encounter. Mel Ismail, 56, a firefighter, described the incident in detail, saying the shark appeared to "wink" at him before severing his leg.

Ismail told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that he was waiting for a wave after observing a nearby pod of dolphins when the shark suddenly struck, knocking him off his surfboard. “I thought I got hit by a dolphin, initially. And suddenly, bang – something grabbed me and dragged me down into the water," he recalled. He said he saw the shark’s eye and tried to push it as he was being pulled under. “I personally reckon it gave me the wink, and then shut my leg off, and I knew it had taken my leg,” he said.

Despite severe bleeding and the loss of his leg just above the ankle, Ismail managed to retrieve his surfboard and ride a wave roughly 18 meters closer to shore. Surfer Shannan Dunn witnessed the attack and entered the water to assist Ismail, helping him reach the beach. Dunn said he saw blood pooling around Ismail and described the injured man as appearing close to losing consciousness.

A bystander fashioned a makeshift tourniquet from a surfboard leg cord to help slow the bleeding, and Ismail was transported to an ambulance by people on the beach. His partner, Kylie Fleay, who works at the local Geraldton hospital and was manning the hospital switchboard at the time of the attack, said she initially underestimated the severity of the situation. “I thought, you know, shark attack, it’s just had a little nibble of him,” she said. Upon seeing him, however, she noted his pale appearance from blood loss. Ismail reportedly joked, “I’m going to have to be a bodyboarder now,” reflecting his determination after the ordeal.

Authorities are currently analyzing DNA collected from Ismail’s surfboard and wetsuit to identify the species of the shark involved.

This attack follows a spate of recent shark incidents in Western Australia. Just days after Ismail’s attack, a man was fatally bitten by a shark while swimming at Sorrento Beach, near Perth, approximately 250 miles south of Geraldton. Earlier in June, a schoolteacher, Leah Stewart, was severely injured in Sydney after what is believed to have been an encounter with a 12-foot great white shark. She sustained life-threatening injuries, underwent multiple surgeries, and lost an arm. Stewart detailed her experience, describing the shark’s face as “horrific” and a “monster,” and said she fought to survive by focusing on her young daughter.

Additional fatal attacks have been recorded in the region, including a spearfisherman killed in June off Western Australia and a father of two who died in May near Perth. These incidents have raised ongoing concerns about shark activity along the Australian coast.