Snorkeller ‘dragged 12ft great white shark off guide by the TAIL as it mauled her legs’
Worldwide, Daily news | ankakh | March 25, 2013 22:59
A snorkeller saved his guide’s life by grabbing the tail of a 12ft-long great white shark and pulling it off her leg as it attacked her.
Trevor Burns, 50, was awarded the Star of Courage today for his heroics in saving Elyse Frankcom off the coast of Rockingham,western Australia.
Miss Frankcom, then 19, was leading a dozen snorkellers, including Mr Burns, on a dolphin tour off a boat when the shark clamped her thigh and bottom in its jaws.
As the water filled with blood, Mr Burns grabbed the tail of the shark, which carried on shaking Miss Frankcom while trying to fend off her rescuer through violent thrashing.
‘I just thought: “Get it off her”,’ the IT consultant fromBrisbanesaid today as he receivedAustralia’s second highest award for civilian bravery.
After several seconds with Mr Burns on his tail, the shark released Miss Frankcom, who had punched it on the nose and activated her ‘shark shield’ sensor, and swam away.
Her limp body began to sink until Mr Burns was able to find her in the bloody waters and pulled her back to the surface, where she regained consciousness.
Now the pair and their families are close friends, with Mr Burns accompanying Miss Frankcom on her first dive back in the ocean eleven months after the October 2010 attack.
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