Surfer Who Lost Leg in Shark Attack Tells of 'Winking' Predator and the Community That Saved Him

Australian surfer and firefighter Mel Ismail has spoken publicly for the first time about the terrifying moment a shark severed his leg, describing how the predator appeared to wink at him as he fought for his life. The attack, which took place on September 14 at Glenfield Beach near Geraldton on Australia's west coast, cost Mr Ismail his right leg below the knee.

In an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corp, Mr Ismail recounted how he was sitting at the back of the surf break, watching a pod of about 20 dolphins, when something massive slammed into him. At first, he thought he had been hit by one of the dolphins.

“I thought I got hit by a dolphin, initially. And suddenly, bang, something grabbed me and dragged me down into the water. And I knew it was a shark,” Mr Ismail said.

What followed was a desperate struggle for survival. Mr Ismail said he locked eyes with the shark, a moment he will never forget.

“I got to a point where I saw its eye, a big black eye. But it was winking back at me. I was trying to get my fingers in its eye and just pushing its eye as I was being dragged,” he said.

Marine biologists note that many sharks, including great whites and makos, do not have eyelids. When they attack, they roll their eyeballs backward into their sockets as a protective measure, exposing a tough layer of white cartilage. This may explain the “wink” Mr Ismail witnessed. Authorities have not yet confirmed the species responsible.

How did the surfer escape and get to safety?

Alone and bleeding at the back of the surf break, Mr Ismail managed to catch a wave that carried him roughly 60 to 70 feet closer to shore. Exhausted and losing strength, he spotted fellow surfer Shannan Dunn coming down the dunes toward the beach.

Mr Dunn did not hesitate. He helped Mr Ismail onto his board, though Mr Ismail recalls his rescuer's wide-eyed shock.

“The first thing he said to me is: 'Where's the shark?' I said: 'I don't know. I've got a bit going on here',” Mr Ismail said.

Once on the beach, the community rallied. An onlooker fashioned a tourniquet from a leg rope, another called for an ambulance, and two teenagers helped lift Mr Ismail into Mr Dunn's SUV. They drove along the beach to meet the paramedics.

“I had a heap of people laughing, keeping me alive, keeping me positive in the back. I gave a few knuckles to the people there, because I was feeling good. I started to feel like I was going to make it,” Mr Ismail added.

What is the wider context of shark attacks in Australia?

Tragically, just four days after Mr Ismail's ordeal, 63-year-old swimmer Greg O'Neill was fatally mauled by a large white shark off Sorrento Beach in Perth's northern suburbs, around 250 miles south of Geraldton.

Australia has seen five fatal shark attacks this year. Three spearfishing divers were killed in separate incidents over four weeks in May and June, and in January, a 12-year-old boy died in hospital days after being bitten by a bull shark in Sydney Harbour.

According to the Australian Shark Incident Database, a partnership including Taronga Conservation Society Australia, Flinders University, and the New South Wales state government, Australia has averaged between two and three fatal shark attacks per year since 2000.

Will the survivor return to the water?

Despite the trauma, Mr Ismail says he intends to return to the surf, this time as a bodyboarder. His story is one of resilience, quick thinking, and the kindness of strangers who refused to let him give up.

It is a reminder of the raw power of the ocean and the strength of the human spirit when faced with the unthinkable.