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02/18/2009 Glen Lockery ( Australia ) No Injury

Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 10:39 pm
by sharkbait
GLEN Lockery reckons he must be one of the luckiest men alive after surviving a body-slam by a shark.
Lucky escape ... Glen Lockery with his damaged surfboard yesterday.
Lucky escape ... Glen Lockery with his damaged surfboard yesterday.
glen_lockery.jpg (33.09 KiB) Viewed 12514 times

Luckiest surfer survives shark body-slam

By Xanthe Kleinig

February 24, 2009 12:00am

GLEN Lockery reckons he must be one of the luckiest men alive after surviving a body-slam by a shark.

The predator came at him from the deep before disappearing into murky post-flood surf at Shelly Beach near Port Macquarie at about 5pm last Wednesday.

The incident is being investigated by the State government's shark attack unit.

It comes as a world-reknowned shark expert tells how best to fend off the predators if they attack.

Mr Lockery was waiting for a wave, watching his mates paddle in, when he was attacked.

"I was sitting out the back on my own and just got hit from below,'' he said yesterday.

It was a massive impact that flipped his surfboard up to hit him in the face.

Mr Lockery caught a glimpse of the shark's girth - about twice as wide as his surfboard.

"People have told me that when it comes from the deep it is either a great white or a tiger. It lifted the board and broke the nose,'' he said.

Mr Lockery, who was about 10m from shore, "screamed'' and paddled in to the rocks.

"I'm thankful I'm alive. Possibly it's realised I wasn't a fish or seal.''

A surfer for 24 years, Mr Lockery made himself get back the water the next day: "I was pretty shaken but after getting back in the water I've surfed every day since.''

The Daily Telegraph yesterday sent photos of Mr Lockery's damaged board to the Primary Industries Department's shark attack investigator Vic Peddemors.

Mr Peddemors said he could see no tooth marks in the board but said: "There are two records of shark interactions where the shark has hit the board with it's snout.''


http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/s ... 21,00.html