British surfer survives shark attack

A British surfer was mauled by a shark just hours after arriving for a holiday in South Africa, the latest victim in a spate of similar attacks.

Chris Sullivan, 32, was bitten on the right leg and foot by a 4m great white shark as he surfed off the coast near Cape Town.

He kicked and punched the creature and managed to wrench his leg from its jaws.

Despite his injuries, Mr Sullivan managed to paddle 500m to the shore, where a doctor gave him first aid. The PE teacher from Newquay in Cornwall needed 200 stitches to his leg.

Rescue commander Chris Mortimer, whose staff airlifted Mr Sullivan to hospital, said: 'He was very, very lucky. Generally, you don't walk away from a great white attack.'

The drama followed two other attacks on Britons, both blamed on a great white.

Mark Currie, 32, from Barrow-in-Furness, had the shock of his life when a shark 'came from nowhere' as he was being lowered into the sea in a metal marine observation platform.

He escaped injury but a colleague on board his boat captured the experience on a camcorder.

The footage showed the shark had a chunk of its dorsal fin missing, as did a shark which lunged at another group of Britons.

Mark Gibson, Carl Allan and Graham Clarke, all 35 and from Newcastle, were on a boat trip to a spot known as Shark Alley.

They were also being lowered into the sea in a cage when the shark tried to sink its teeth into the metal bars.

Mr Gibson said: 'We all thought our number was up. We were all hanging on for dear life. It was just like something from Jaws. We were not injured but we were really shaken up.'