WARNING: Some of the images and information about sharks and shark attacks may not be for the squeamish. Proceed with caution. While it may be rare, there is no denying that being attacked by a shark is still one of the most terrifying experiences that could happen in the ocean. There have been numerous unprovoked attacks over the years, yet the following harrowing stories definitely rank as the most horrifying ones ever recorded.
#1 Rodney Fox, 1963 - Spear Fishing
Rodney Fox suffered a punctured diaphragm, pierced scapula and ripped lung. His ribcage and upper stomach were exposed, and rescuers, after pulling him from the water, had to keep his wetsuit on to prevent his organs from spilling out. Four hours of extensive surgery and 450 stitches later, Rodney Fox lived to tell his tale of being attacked by a great white and is regarded as a miracle survivor of one of the worst shark attacks in history.
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Fox was defending his Australian spearfishing title when he wrangled with the great white. The shark grabbed him by his torso, but Fox gouged the beast in the eyes and it released him. On the second strike, Fox was able to pull his arm from the shark's mouth. However, the shark came back again, this time dragging Fox along the ocean floor before finally releasing him.
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Since the attack, Rodney Fox has become one of the foremost authorities on the great white shark. He is credited with designing the first underwater shark observation cage and has been involved in numerous expeditions, documentaries, and feature films about the great white, working with scientific researchers from 16 different countries. In 2007, Fox was inducted into the International Scuba Hall of Fame.
#4 Bethany Hamilton, 2003 - A Morning Surf
On October 31, 2003, Hamilton, aged 13 at the time, went for a morning surf along Tunnels Beach, Kauai, with best friend Alana Blanchard, Alana's father, Holt, and brother Byron. She was lying on her surfboard with her left arm dangling in the water when a 14-foot-long tiger shark attacked her and grabbed her left arm.
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Soon after the attack, a local fisherman caught a 13-foot tiger shark not far from where Hamilton was attacked. The fisherman, Ralph Young, said the shark's jaws matched the imprint made on Hamilton's board.
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Since two arms are considered crucial for paddling and pushing yourself up on a board, it seemed clear that Hamilton's surfing days were over. Not only did she return to the water, but she became one of the top female surfers. And she surfs big waves.
Her story was made into a documentary, "Heart of a Soul Surfer" in 2007. And Hamilton wrote a book, also titled "Soul Surfer."
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Bethany is no stranger to being inspiring. The Hawaiian-born beauty and her husband, Adam Dirks, welcomed their first child on June 1st, 2015.
#8 Valeh Levy and Sydney, 2012 - Surfing On The Coast
Valeh Levy and Sydney, has just paddled out to sea on their boards when Sydney suddenly slipped off her board and disappeared beneath the waves. Ms Levy reached over and grabbed her daughter by the shoulders and pulled her out of the shark's deadly grip.
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She surfaced again, a moment later and got back on her board. She pulled her leg out of the water and saw, horrified, it was covered in blood.
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Sydney Levy was rushed into surgery after her mother saved her from a shark that attacked her twice while she was surfing.
#11 Joshua Holley, 2012 - Hawaiian Surfer Defeats Tiger Shark
Joshua Holley was paddling off of Oahu's North Shore when he was attacked by what he thought was a ten-foot tiger shark.
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The 28-year-old surfer said he felt something brush against him, and then latch onto his foot.
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Rather than panic, Mr Holley's instinct kicked in, and he punched the shark squarely in the nose, yelling at it: ‘I'm not gonna die today.'
After the shark fight, Holley paddled back to the beach and got support from beachgoers. In the hospital, he 42 stitches and the confirmation that he will need surgery to repair two torn tendons
#14 Russell Easton, 2012 - Punched Shark In Face To Escape
Conservationist and professional underwater photographer and diver, Russell Easton, was photographing a 12-ft tiger shark in the Bahamas when suddenly his camera's viewfinder showed a huge mouthful of sharp teeth!
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The shark bit into Easton's camera, so the diver shoved the camera further into his mouth and was able to swim away to safety.
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Despite the terrifying incident, the diver says he doesn't think the shark was trying to hurt him; rather, the shark was just trying to figure out what he was by using his mouth like we would use our hand.
#17 Henri Bource, 1964 - White Shark Attack
In 1964, Henri Bource and two other divers were swimming with seals in the ocean off Lady Julia Percy Island in Australia, when a great white shark suddenly appeared and bit off his leg at the knee.
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His diving partners got Bource onto the boat, and incredibly, the rescue was videotaped.
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Bource was an amateur underwater photographer and filmmaker, and he eventually took the film footage from the attack and reconstructed the other parts for a documentary called "Savage Shadows."
#20 Ian And Gemma Redmond, 2011 - Man Killed In Front of New Bride While On Honeymoon
Just ten days after getting married, British honeymooners Ian and Gemma Redmond were enjoying a tropical beach vacation in Seychelles, when tragedy struck.
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Thirty-year-old Ian Redmond was snorkeling just twenty yards off shore while his new wife sunbathed on the beach. Redmond was attacked by a shark, which bit off one arm and destroyed one of his legs.
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It is thought that Redmond died instantly, though he was quickly pulled from the water into a boat, and a doctor on the beach applied first aid until emergency medical crews arrived. Redmond's hysterical new wife was restrained by the crowds of people on the beach while workers attempted to save her husband.
