A Sydney woman who survived a terrifying shark attack has opened up about the moment she came face-to-face with a 4-metre great white shark and fought back by repeatedly punching the predator.
Leah Stewart, 34, was attacked at Coogee Beach in June after finishing her regular Saturday morning swim. The shark dragged her underwater and bit her thigh and arms, leaving her with severe injuries and significant blood loss.
The attack was so serious that doctors were eventually forced to amputate her left arm. Despite the devastating injuries, Stewart said her thoughts immediately turned to her baby daughter, August, giving her the determination to fight for her life.
“I was like, ‘You are not taking me away from my daughter’,” she recalled during an interview with Nine Network’s 60 Minutes.
Stewart said she had initially heard a woman screaming behind her before turning around and seeing an enormous fin approaching. She quickly realised it was not a dolphin and that the shark was moving directly towards her.
The predator eventually came within around 30 centimetres of her face. Stewart described its appearance as horrifying, with dark eyes and a huge mouth filled with teeth.
Despite being right-handed, Stewart instinctively decided to throw a punch with her left arm. The shark grabbed her forearm and tore through her skin and muscle during the struggle.
As the shark pulled her underwater and clamped onto her leg, Stewart said she briefly believed she was going to die. However, thoughts of her daughter pushed her to keep fighting.
She described punching the shark as being like “fighting a dinosaur” and said it felt like hitting a brick wall. Stewart continued striking until she believed she landed a powerful blow, causing the shark to release her.
Other swimmers then helped pull her back to shore before she was rushed to hospital. Stewart was placed in an induced coma and underwent almost a dozen operations as doctors worked to save her life.
Despite everything she endured, Stewart said she does not want her identity to be defined solely by the attack.
“I’m the woman that punched the shark in the face,” she said, reflecting on the moment that helped her survive one of the most terrifying encounters imaginable.
