'It was staring at me as it crunched into my chest': Swimmer recalls terrifying moment a SEVEN FOOT great white shark sank its teeth into him as he swam off popular beach

Steven Robles, 40, was bitten by the seven-foot juvenile shark just before 9.30 a.m. at Manhattan Beach



Terrified swimmers screamed 'white! white!' in fears a Great White Shark was on the prowl

Robles escaped by punching the shark in the nose

Robles is being held in stable condition at the UCLA Harbor Medical Center



Swimmers were barred from the water for hours until authorities pushed the vicious beast into deeper water

The man mauled by a great white shark this weekend at a popular southern California beach has finally opened up about the terrifying attack.

Steven Robles, 40, was bitten by the seven-foot beast around 9.30 a.m. Saturday morning at Manhattan Beach while it was snagged on a fishing line, it panicked and bit the swimmer out of fear while trying to wriggle free.

'It came from the bottom of the water. It came up to the surface, it looked at me and attacked me right on the side of my chest,' Robles told KABC. 'That all happened within two seconds.'



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Calm after the storm: Surfers were back in the water at Manhattan Beach within hours after the California swimmer's hotspot was the setting for a terrifying great white shark attack

Saved: Two men carry a swimmer, after he was bitten by a great white shark, to safety on Manhattan Beach

'I saw the eyes of the shark as I was seeing it swim towards me,' he continued. 'It lunged at my chest, and it locked into my chest.' Robles has been released from the hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.

He was reportedly with a group of 15 frequent swimmers who dive into the water every Saturday in popular spots from Hermosa to Manhattan Beach Pier, and who were training for an International Swim Meet.

Robles told reporters he punched the shark in the nose, which is a frequently recommended strategy when faced with an attack.

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Next Who loves the USA more than the Navy SEALs? Home of elite... New Zealand's most bizarre tourist attraction: People rush... Share this article Share Robles credits the quick thinking, along with God's intervention, for his survival.

A religious man, he recently swam to raise money for his Hermosa Beach church. The shark had reportedly been hooked by a fisherman, panicked and bit Robles in the ribs, back and right arm, causing multiple puncture wounds, police told Redondo Patch. Watch as fishermen LAUGH at the shark attack victim's screams...



Steven Robles, 40, says he thanks God for saving his life from a horrific shark attack In agony: The unidentified man is loaded into the ambulance following the attack

Fishermen on the Manhattan Beach pier who snagged the juvenile great white laughed at the victim just after the attack, footage reveals.

The fishermen didn't realize Robles had been bitten.

It was his fearful screams they laughed at, but the fishermen quickly clammed up when it dawned on them just how serious the situation had become.

Witnesses told the Los Angeles Times the shark had been on the fishing line for nearly an hour and panicked, leading to the attack.

He was in the water while part of a group training, the site said, and was still conscious when loaded into the ambulance. 'Out of the water!': Lifeguard Natalia Vecerek, 22, patrols the beach, telling people to leave the water after the early morning shark attack

Steven Robles, 40, was bitten by a seven-foot great white shark around 9.30 a.m. Saturday morning at Manhattan Beach after the beast escaped from a fisherman

Robles escaped by punching the shark in the nose, a widely recommended maneuver in such attacks

Robles was training with a group of 15 avid swimmers before an international competition



More than half an hour prior to the attack, a fisherman hooked the beast, but set it loose when it attacked Robles, witnesses told Patch.

He was taken ashore by surfers while lifeguards urged people to get to the shore and helicopters soon began hovering over the beach.

A surfer in the water near the victim told the New York Daily News of the terrifying attack.

'There was blood everywhere and I realized that something had gotten him,' said Casey Fenwick. 'He was screaming the whole time and I understand why.

'I was just worried about getting this guy in and on the board so somebody could help.'

Video from the scene shows the bedlam that ensued as he was pulled to safety.

Off limits: Police closed off the beach until the shark was a safe distance away high and dry: Swimmers fled to the pier after the water was closed as a safety precaution Where it happened: People who fled the waters on Manhattan Beach gathered on the pier

Urgent: The man was still conscious while being rushed from the water to the ambulance

Two-miles of the beach were closed while authorities worked to move the shark into deeper water, said cops.

‘The deputies directed a lifeguard boat and a Redondo Beach Harbor Patrol boat to the shark,’ said a police statement. ‘A paddle boarder was directed away from the shark by the boat crews.

‘After approximately 30 minutes, the boats were able to coax the shark out to deeper water and away from the pier.’

A witness told the Los Angeles Times people began screaming ‘white! white!’ for a great white shark.

‘It was a scary scream,’ said Aram Ozen. ‘It was kind of freaky. There was a lot people screaming back to shore.’

Another witness detailed the horror to Patch.

‘The shark was 6-7 feet. A fisherman who regularly tries to catch sharks had it on the line for 45 minutes,’ said Scot Valor. ‘The shark was panicking. The swimmer just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.’